Closet Skeletons
by emeyers
Summary: AU  Haunted by past ghosts from five years ago, when Jeremy meets Tyler, he wants nothing to do with him. Tyler, on the other hand, wants Jeremy. Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1

**Warning**: Slash, Nonrelated, Language, Forced Incest, Rape

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing you recognize.

**Note**: Matt, Damon, and Jeremy are brothers and their last name is Donovan, but Kelly is _not_ their mother. Elena is Jenna Sommers daughter. Stefan is the only Salvatore son. Tyler's last name is still Lockwood. All of them are human; no vampires or werewolves.

~***Chapter One: Stop Staring at Me***~

He's staring at me again.

I slump farther in my seat, hoping to lose myself again in my book, but it's useless. I can still feel his never wavering gaze. Why can't he just leave me alone? For the last two weeks, I've seen him at the library; he always sits four tables away and when he's not reading or doing homework, he's watching me. Stalking is illegal in all fifty states. He knows that, right?

Tightening my grip on my book, I risk glancing up. Maybe he isn't looking anymore. A pair of brown eyes locks with mine. Damn, he's still looking. Quickly I duck my head. Why can't people just leave me alone?

"Hey, Jeremy," a female voice says,

Looking up, I wave to Elena, one of the librarians and the first person who had befriended me when I moved to Mystic Falls, Virginia five years ago.

"Hi, Elena," I say, offering her a brief smile before returning to my novel.

"I see Stalker Guy is here too." She slides into the seat across from me, tucking her legs underneath her before tugging out her scrunchie and fixing her hair.

I sigh and close my book. I'll just check it out and read it later in the comfort of my apartment. No distractions there. "Yep. He's been here for the last two weeks too."

"Maybe he's looking for an opportunity to talk to you."

I roll my eyes. "I don't date." I cut off her protest with a sharp, "You know why."

She nods. "I know that, Jeremy," she lays a comforting hand on my arm, "but don't you think you should at least give him a chance? Maybe he's shy."

"You're such a Jane Bennett." Yes, I've read Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" and actually enjoyed it. Most males wouldn't dare admit to something like that, worried it'd damaged their macho reputation, but I'm comfortable enough with myself to admit my guilty pleasures.

Elena looks at me with mild surprise before smiling. "Jeremy, if you weren't gay you'd be perfect boyfriend material for any girl."

"Gee thanks." She and I share a laugh.

Grabbing my jacket, I gather up my books and make my way towards the checkout line. Elena and Stalker Guy follow. While scanning my books, I glance over at him out of the corner of my eye. His tall and lithe body reminds me of a runner. Straight, black hair, swept to the side, hangs over his eyes and accents his boyish looks. Man! He really is gorgeous. But why would he be interested in someone like me, "the average kid"? At least that's what _he_ used to call me. I squeezed my eyes shut.

_He's_ the whole reason I'm living here.

Though I haven't thought about him in several weeks; why now?

"Jeremy?" Snapping out of my thoughts, I notice Elena eyeing me, her expression concerned. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." With another quick glance behind me, I say my goodbyes and hurry outside. Stalk Guy trails behind me. Elena accompanies me to my car where we wait till Stalker Guy's car pulls out of the parking lot and then she pulls me into a bone-crushing hug.

"Call me if you want to do something tonight. I get off at six."

"Actually, I'm going to spend the evening reading."

"Jeremy," she shakes her head, "I'm worried about you. You don't have any friends, aside from me, and we don't really hang out. I only see you on the days you're here and when you're here you spend your time reading. You need to get out more and socialize. What you're doing isn't healthy."

I dig my keys out of my pocket and unlock my car. "I appreciate your concern, Elena, but seriously. I'm not much for socialization. People and I don't really get along."

"Bull shit!" She crosses her arms. "It's because of…"

"I really need to go," I say, my eyes narrowing. She knows better than to bring _him_ up_._ Giving up, she nods, leaning forward and kissing my cheek and then waving as I climb into the driver's seat, switch on my engine, and head home.

Once I arrive, I park in my designated spot, shutting off my engine and then jogging up to my apartment. After letting myself inside, I switch on my foyer light and stare at my living room. The carpet's a mud brown and an old lamp hangs from the ceiling right above my green with yellow and white strips couch. Castoffs decorations from garage sales. Nothing that screams, "This is Jeremy Gilbert's place." Nope, the room, hell my whole apartment is average.

Just like me.

With a sigh, I collapse onto my couch and sink down into the cushions. At least they're comfortable. Shooting a quick glance at my clock, I pick up my remote and settle in for an evening of catching up with my favorite TV shows.

The following morning, my alarm goes off at six am. Yawning, I sit up, throw my covers aside, swing my legs over the edge, and stand up, stretching. Quickly showering, I tug on a light pair of jeans and then my favorite black polo shirt and eat a light breakfast. Paying a brief visit to Starbucks and purchasing my preferred Green Tea Frappuccino, I drive over to the library. Ever since I can remember I've been a morning person. Rarely are people up as early as me. However, when I enter the library I'm shocked to see Stalker Guy arrived first. I frown. That's odd. Usually I'm here for a good hour before he shows up.

"Hey, Jeremy," Elena says as she passed me, carrying a stack of books. "You're late."

I roll my eyes and head towards my normal seat. As I get closer, I notice Stalker Guy reading a copy of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice." I bite my lip to keep from laughing. Just then he glances up and spotting me he smiles. I give him a tentative one in return. He nods towards the empty chair beside him and then looks back at me, raising his eyebrows expectantly. I slow my footsteps. Should I? It really can't hurt, right? He's not _him_.

Swallowing hard, I sit down beside him.

Stalker Guy's eyes are twinkling. "Hi, I'm Tyler Lockwood." He holds out his hand and I shake it.

"Jeremy."

"You got a last name, cutie."

I shoot him a sharp look. "Gilbert and it's Jeremy."

He raises his hands in a defensive gesture. "Sorry, Jeremy."

I nod and stare at my hands, clenching and unclenching in my lap. Why is this so hard? Conversations never used to be this difficult. Before I was actually a very laid back and easy-going person and able to talk to anyone…but that was before h_im_.

"So…uh…"Pride and Prejudice?" Not your normal preferred reading choice." I want to smack myself. Not his normal preferred reading? Yesterday I was complaining about him stalking me and now I'm making it obvious that I've been watching him too? Good job, Jeremy. Could you be any lamer?

Tyler laughs. It's a rich and deep laugh but it's real and not one of those polite chuckles people often give to keep others from feeling embarrassed. "Yes, but I overheard you and your girlfriend talking about it yesterday and I thought I'd check it out."

"Elena's not my girlfriend," I say automatically. Tyler's eyes widen with interest. My chest tightens. It's a similar look to the ones _he_ used to give me.

"Really?"

I shift and grow more uncomfortable, especially when Tyler maneuvers his chair right next to mine so our legs are touching. I swallow hard and try to calm my galloping heart. We're in a public library so Tyler wouldn't dare try something, right? I nearly jump when I feel his hand on my thigh. I would've been fine with that, but when he starts rubbing it, his fingers kneading my skin, I shove away from the table and stand up. Cheeks flaming with embarrassment, I bolt. Behind me I hear Elena calling my name followed by another chair scrapping against the floor and pursuing footsteps. Stumbling outside, I lean up against the wall and clutch my head, gasping as my head clouds with unbidden memories.

_He __slams me against the wall, our naked bodies pressed against each other and my arms pinned above my head. Moans and groans echo in my ears as he pries apart my legs before thrusting inside, completely dry. My back arches; screams spill from my throat. Repeatedly his hips pump against mine, each thrust growing harder and penetrating deeper._

"_Please." I whimper__ and wince as his nails dig into my skin. "Please stop. It hurts, it hurts!"_

"Jeremy!" Tyler's voice breaks through my memories. I squeeze my eyes shut and collapse to the ground. Hesitant footsteps move towards me before I sensed someone crouching in front of me. "Are you all right?" he asks. I'm thankful when he keeps his hands to himself this time. An awkward pause follows when I don't say anything.

"I uh…I just remembered I had…something to do," I say, fabricating a lie.

Tyler sees through it. "Look, Jeremy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. If I made you uncomfortable in any way I didn't mean to." He sighs and drops down next to me, but he makes sure our bodies still aren't touching. Again, I'm grateful. "People tell me I have a tendency to come on too strong. It's one of reasons I don't date much."

"Why have you been following me?" I've been dying to know.

He hangs his head. "There's something intriguing about you. I've been trying to get up the courage to approach you, but until today I couldn't."

I stare at him in disbelief. "Me? There's nothing special about. I'm just me..."

Tyler's head snaps towards me so quickly that I leave my sentence dangling. His eyes are wide and full of anger. Wait, anger? What did he have to be upset about? "Who told you that?" he asks.

I shrug and turn away. "Doesn't matter; it's the truth."

He shakes his head. "No. No, it's not." He grabs my shoulder and turns me so I'm facing him. Stubbornly, I keep my eyes on the ground. "Jeremy, look at me." I refuse, despite the gentleness in his voice. "Hey." He tilts my chin up until I have no other place to look, but his eyes. "You _are_ something special, Jeremy and whoever told you otherwise can't see worth shit."

Despite his abrasive tendencies, there's a sweet quality about Tyler. Rarely are first impressions correct and Tyler doesn't really seem like such a bad guy. Maybe it won't hurt for us to be friends.

"Jeremy?" Tyler's voice startles me. Turning to face him, I find him fiddling with his shirt hem, chewing on his bottom lip and toeing the ground. I frown. What happened to his abrasiveness? "We really got off on the wrong foot back there." Understatement! Taking a deep breath, he continues, "Can we start over?"

I stare at him not completely sure if I should believe him. Sure he seems sincere, but should I really trust a guy who just now decides to talk to me after following me around for two weeks?

"_Maybe he's looking for an opportunity to talk to you."_ Elena's words flash unbidden through my memory. Although she made a valid point, do I really want to get involved? He could be an ex-murderer or even a molester. Wincing, I can almost hear Elena's laughter at my paranoid thoughts. _He_ was right. I am pathetic. Glancing back towards Tyler, I hold out my hand.

"Hi, I'm Jeremy Gilbert."

He heaves a sigh of relief. "Tyler," he says and shakes my hand, but doesn't release it quite yet. Glancing down, I notice how soft his skin is. My eyes widen and I snatch my hand away, stumbling backwards, my cheeks flushing. Hurt lingers in Tyler's eyes. I swallow hard and try to think of something to ease the sudden tension between us, but he beats me to it. "So what's your favorite sport?"

Ah not only familiar and safe territory, but a topic I can handle. "Golf," I say, "but not a lot of people appreciate it. You ever played?"

He shakes his head. "I never had the patience for it."

"It's a great stress reliever and builds endurance." The corner of my mouth curls up in a half smile. I used to think like that too.

"Well maybe you can give me some tips sometime," he says, his eyes teasing.

"Sure." I didn't see a problem with that. "I can do that."

"Great. How's tomorrow sound?"

Shit! I should've seen this coming. It was so obvious that even a blind person would've seen it! Well, golfing greens were fairly public places and the teeing grounds were almost always full, so I doubt he'll have the opportunity to try anything. I can always ask Elena to come along too. But…I sigh. _Jeremy, you've been down this road before…twice. You know how it ends. Save yourself from the unnamable pain and stay away!_

"Sounds great," I find myself saying and flinch. Why am I such a glutton for punishment?

I lean up against the library wall and glance at my watch for the third time in the last minute. Elena told me she gets off work at 6 o'clock and it's five after six now. I cross my arms, my foot tapping as my patience wanes.

"Whoa! Someone's not in a good mood," Elena says as she exits the library sliding doors. "What? Did Tyler try something?"

"You got any plans right now?" I ask, purposefully avoiding her question. Yes, he tried something, tried and succeeded.

She eyes me, worried. "Jeremy? What's wrong? You're scaring me."

"Tyleraskedmeout," I say quickly and then add, "Coffee?" before grimacing. _He_ loved coffee.

"Wait, what now?" Her eyes narrow as she works out what I just mumbled in her head. I know she's figured it out when she screams, "Are you serious?"

Wincing, I rub my ears, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment as several people passing us turn and stare. Elena, ignoring them, bounds over to me and tugs me in a tight hug.

"Can't breathe…need air…let go…"

Immediately she releases me. "Jeremy, this is fantastic. Please tell me you said yes?" I turn away and take a few steps away, my hands buried in my pockets. "Jeremy?" Her voice is hesitant as she approaches and touches my shoulder. "You did, didn't you?" I sigh and hang my head. She gasps. "You didn't?"

"No, I mean yes…I said I would go!"

Her smile returns, wider this time. "So what's the problem?" Was she really asking me that? "Okay, okay. I get why you're hesitant, but, Jeremy you can't keep walking around with that skeleton in your closet. You're eventually going to have to let it out in order to heal."

"Don't you think I know that?" I say, my voice increasing in volume as I throw my hands up in the air. "I know," my voice softens, "but the scars are still there."

"You're friends with me." She gives my shoulder a brief squeeze.

"You're a girl." Then glancing up and seeing our audience, I lower my voice to a whisper. Elena needs to lean forward just to hear me. "It's guys I have issues with."

She pulls me into a friendly hug. "Jeremy, at least give Tyler a chance. Besides," she steps back and chuckles, "you already said yes. Please just try it. For me?" She blinks at me flirtatiously.

I shake my head with a laugh. "You know that won't work on me, hon."

"Fine." She sighs, crossing her arms and pouting. I start laughing even harder. Do girls really think guys are stupid enough to fall for this trick? When I calm down enough to answer I say I will try, which satisfies her. "Besides, if he tries anything, I'll kick his ass. So," she flips her hand over her shoulder and smiles at me, "do you still want to go to Starbucks or was that supposed to be a distraction?"

I offer her my arm. "Shall we?" Linking her arm through mine, we head towards the nearest Starbucks two blocks away.

Later that night while lying in my bed and watching the clock numbers shift, I keep thinking about Tyler asking me out. Although Elena was convinced I made the right choice by accepting, had I really? Sighing, I switch on my lamplight and throw my covers off. In for another sleepless night, I pull on my robe before heading towards the kitchen. I've heard people say warm milk helps, but that never worked for me. Instead, I fix myself a plate of scrambled eggs and then sit on my couch, staring at the blank TV screen, my thoughts drifting.

Although I started out as a normal kid, my simple life changed after the night of my sixteenth birthday. After our family dinner, I laid around on the couch while Mom and Dad went out for coffee with an old college friend visiting from out of town. Damon had already left to meet up with some girl he was trying to impress and I didn't know where Matt was.

Twenty minutes later Matt returned and asked if I wanted to hang out. Of all my brothers, he was my favorite and I'd drop anything if it meant spending time with him. Even as children we banded together and played pranks on Damon. When I had exciting news, I went to Matt. When I realized I was gay, I went to Matt. When I was angry or needed advice, I went to Matt. I went to him for everything.

Matt said he needed to get something from the kitchen and he'd join me shortly. Nodding, I went upstairs and headed towards his room. Tiredly, I stumbled down the hall. However, before I reached my big brother's room, a hand wrapped around my waist while the other closed over my mouth. Eyes widening, I struggled against my capturer. I did manage to free my mouth by biting my assailant's palm. He cursed and withdrew his hand I sucked in air to call out for Matt. Yet, that's when I felt someone grab my hair and bash my head against the wall; the force knocked me out.

I came to lying on my back on my bed, my arms handcuffed above my head while my legs were spread and tied to each of my bed posts; I was completely naked. Again, I tried to scream for help. A gag muffled my cries. A figure stood by the foot of my bed.

"Don't bother struggling," the figure told me, his voice familiar and male. I whimpered. Feeling the mattress sag, I tensed as I felt him crawling towards me and then straddling my hips; he was naked too! My struggled intensified. "Jeremy, Jeremy," he said and I could almost picture him shaking his head. "Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for this?" Slowly he ran his hands over my chest, twisting and tweaking my nipples. I cried out, tears filling my eyes and spilling over. Why was he doing this? Who was he? What did he want? "Aw, don't cry." Tenderly, he stroked my cheek and wiped away my tears. "I'm going to make you feel so good." He shifted slightly and I could feel him near my entrance. I squeezed my eyes shut. "And don't worry about Damon. I told him I'd missed you and he agreed to stay out tonight." Without another word he thrusted inside of me. I arched up, screams tearing from my throat, my body shaking as he mercilessly pounded into me.

"Jeremy, oh Jeremy, you're so tight, ah so good," he whispered, panting next to my ear, his lips sucking and biting my neck. I lay there helpless as my brother, Matt, raped me.

Matt, my older brother, my protector, my best friend.

A shrill ringing breaks through my memories. I bolt upright, sweat and tears rolling down my cheeks. Breathing hard, I press my hand over my heart and feel the pulsing of my galloping heart against my fingers. Momentarily disoriented, I glance around. I don't even remember falling asleep. I jump when a loud beat erupts through my otherwise silent apartment.

"Hey, Jeremy, it's Tyler. I just wanted to make sure we're still on for today."

Tyler! Stumbling over my feet, I fumble for the phone. "Hello? Hello?" I say, my voice cracking. I wince and hope he thinks the crack was from me still being asleep and not because I'd been crying.

"Hey, Jeremy," Tyler says and I can sense his smile. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

I glance over at my wall clock and groan. 10:30. How did I manage to oversleep even after years of training myself to wake up at 6:30? "No," I rub my face and yawn, "well actually yes, but I overslept so it's all right."

He pauses for a second. "Jeremy, are you all right? You sound like you've been crying."

I bite my lip. Did it really show that much? I swallow and clear my throat. "I just woke up so that's why my throat's scratchy."

"Okay," he says, but his voice sounds different like he doesn't believe me. "Are we still on for this afternoon?"

"Sure, I guess." He laughs and goes off about how he's looking forward to learning from Golf Master Jeremy. I find myself smiling at his nickname; my night terrors slowly recede into the shadows of my mind.

"All right, I just wanted to check. So I'll see you around one, at the main entrance," he says.

"I'll be there," I say and then hang up the phone.

Replacing the phone in its cradle, I make my way to my bathroom. I switch on the light and immediately throw my hand over my eyes, the brightness hurting my eyes. When they adjust, I turn on the faucet and wet the wash cloth before washing my face. Afterwards I stare at myself in the mirror. Damn! I look horrible. Although I've always been pale, my skin has become almost a sickly pale color. My signature, thick mop of hair lies limp on my head. But, it's really my eyes that scare me the most. They're so dull, lifeless. Hoping to revive myself some, I switch on the shower, but even the hot spray beating against my skin does nothing; I still feel the shadow of yesterday hanging over me, its cold and unrelenting fingers slowly strangling me. I crumple to the floor, wrapping my arms around my knees and pressing them against my chest.

_Matt, what have you done to me?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Warnings**: Slash, Nonrelated, Forced Incest, Flashback Rape, Brief Violence, Minor Character Deaths

**Disclaimer**: Nothing you recognize belongs to me; however, I do own the characters Travis and Ben.

**Shout Outs**: Thank you so much to everyone who has read and reviewed the first chapter. I love reading your comments and I'm thrilled that you all enjoyed it. Thank you also to **rjinx**. Glad you enjoyed it and wish I could've replied to your comment personally. Hope you guys enjoy this next chapter. Please leave me a review and tell me what you thought. :D

~***Chapter Two: Web of Deceit***~

Five minutes before noon I find myself waiting in the parking lot of the Buchanan Golf Course. _What am I doing?_ The thought has plaguing me since I hung up with Tyler earlier this morning._ I shouldn't be doing this_. I glance down at my car clock. Twelve o'clock. Quickly I look around and when I don't see Tyler I grip my keys and go to switch on my ignition—I should've never accepted his invitation. Give him some golfing tips? Could he have been anymore obvious? Yet, there's something—something I can't explain—about Tyler that intrigues me. Why can't I just stop thinking about him?

A shadow falls over me and I gasp as someone raps on my window.

Tyler.

"Not thinking of leaving, are you?" he says, a touch of teasing coloring his voice, once I calm down and climb out of my car.

Without answering I retrieve my golf clubs from my trunk before locking it. Still not speaking I cross the parking lot and head towards the golf course entrance. The sooner I get this…whatever the hell it is over, the sooner I can leave. Tyler catches up with me and grabs my arm, spinning me around to face him.

"What's up with you, Jeremy? Am I really _that_ boring to be around?"

My cheeks flush and I stare at the ground. "It's not that…I…I just have a lot on my mind."

"Anything I can help with?"

I glance up uncertain. I shouldn't have involved Elena with my past, but I can't change that now. However, I can still protect Tyler. _The less he knows the less chance Matt'll hurt him when he returns. Not if. When_.

"Not really, but thanks," I say my voice barely above a whisper.

Tyler steps closer. I keep moving backwards until my back hits the wall. Stiffening, I watch as he, with a tenderness reserved for one's lover, reaches out and tucks several loose hair strands behind my ear. An unfamiliar emotion flashes through his eyes before he cups and caresses my cheek with his thumb. My throat tightens and my eyes squeeze shut.

_I sh__y away, but Matt presses his body against mine, trapping me against his bedroom wall and stroking the side of my face. Turning away, I fight my nauseating urge. Roughly, he grabs my chin and yanks my face around, his lips crashing against mine, his insistent tongue prying my mouth open. Whimpering slightly, I push against his chest. He doesn't move. Seizing my hands, he pins them above my head, his lips trailing down the side of my neck, sucking, biting, and bruising my skin._

"_Just leave me alone!" I kick his legs and he __hisses, stumbling away from me._

"Fuck, Jeremy that hurt." A voice—not Matt's, but Tyler's—startles me. I lean against the wall, gasping. Another flashback. I swallow hard. I haven't had any for the last three years and since Tyler and I've spoken, I've experienced three.

Why?

"Tyler, I'm sorry…I…" What? What can I possibly say to justify what I did? That I'd been reliving one of the many times my older brother raped me? Maybe being around Tyler isn't such a good idea. I turn to leave, but he catches my arm and pulls me back despite my protests.

"Jeremy? Seriously man what's going on?"

I shake my head and struggle to pull my arm free. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come." Breaking free, I quickly retrieve my golf clubs' bag, which had fallen. Hurriedly I run towards my car, fumbling in my pocket for my keys. Pounding footsteps echo behind me. Where is…ah there's my baby! Now all I need to do is get inside her before Tyler reaches me. Chancing a glance over my shoulder I curse when I see him so close. Damn his long legs! He's gaining. I push my leg muscles harder. Automatically unlocking my car, I hurry to open my door only for a hand to appear over my shoulder and close it. I tense when I feel his breath against my neck and jump as Tyler's hand grips my shoulder in a gentle but firm way and brings me around to face him.

"Jeremy, why did you run off like that?" My eyes remain shut. "Jeremy?" Lightly he touches my face. I flinch and he withdraws his hand. "Jeremy, I'm not going to hurt you."

"Not yet." I snap my mouth shut. I didn't mean to say that!

"What are you talking about?"

I look away. "Forget it." I turn to open my door, but Tyler's hand again slams it shut.

"No you don't, Jeremy," he said, flipping me around and positioning his arms so there's one on either side of my head, trapping me. "You can't just say 'not yet' and then expect me to forget it."

"I didn't mean anything by it. Please just let me go."

"Jeremy…c'mon talk to me."

Unable to stand his close proximity, I shove him back. Tyler, not expecting this, stumbles and trips over his own feet, lying sprawled in the parking lot. Taking advantage of his stunned look, I toss my golf clubs in the back seat, jump into the front seat, and rev the engine, throwing my car into reverse, backing up, and then racing out of the parking lot.

Glancing up in my rearview mirror, I see Tyler struggling to his feet and stumbling into his own car, which ironically was parked next to mine. Quickly, he pulls out of the parking lot and before I know it, his car is pacing mine, his window rolled down as he shouts at me to pull over. I clutch my steering wheel, my knuckles white, and switch lanes, cursing when Tyler follows. Horns blare; tires squeal; people scream and curse at me. I ignored them. Why can't he just leave me alone? My heart galloping, I cast another look behind me and sigh as he still manages to keep up. I scan the roads and notice the signal light up ahead flash yellow. Biting my lip, I press down on my accelerator. _Deep breathes. I'm close enough to make it_. Halfway across the intersection the light changes to red. Behind me, tires screech as Tyler slams on his brakes. Sighing, I relax into my seat before detouring to the left, then turning right, and then left again, which leads me to where I ditched Tyler. He's nowhere in sight. Relieved, I activate my Bluetooth and dial Elena's cell. She answers after the first ring.

"Starbucks," I say.

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes." With that she hangs up.

I fight back the urge to smile; to most people Starbucks is a place to either hang out or have some quality self time, but to us, it's our own personal way of communicating we need to talk. A while later I pull into Starbuck's parking lot, switch off my ignition, and climb out, before locking my car and hurrying inside. Elena's already sitting in our usual booth, my preferred Green Tea Frappuccino waiting for me. I slid in across from her and take a sip, sighing at the cool, refreshing liquid rolling down my throat.

"Thanks," I say and close my eyes for a moment before reopening them and noticing she doesn't have a drink. "Still no taste for coffee yet?"

She shakes her head. "So what happened?"

Ah, Elena, always straight to the point. "Flashback." Her eyes widen and I nod. "He touched me and I panicked. Thought he was _him_ and I…I kicked him."

"Oh, Jeremy." She flinches.

"I'm scared, Elena. It's been three years since _he's_ been in my head and I thought I'd gotten rid of _him_, but then Tyler…and now _he's_ back." She reaches across the table and grips my hands. "What am I supposed to do now?"

"I wish I knew, Jer." Briefly she rubs and kisses my knuckles. Across from us, an older couple glances over and smiles at our affectionate display. Elena and I often play on people's assumptions, laughing at their reactions when they learn we're not boyfriend and girlfriend, but right now I really need the comfort. "Maybe you should tell Tyler the truth."

My face pales. "No!" Several heads glance sharply at us. Embarrassed, I stare at my lap. "No," I say again quieter.

"Why not? What are you…" Slowly she trails off, her head tilted to the side and her expression thoughtful. Slightly freaked out by how she's eyeing me but before I can ask if she's all right, she smiles. "You like him."

"T-that's ridiculous!" My eyebrows shoot up in shock. Right I like him so much that I ditched him when he tried to follow me earlier. "I just don't want him to get hurt."

"Denial."

"Think what you want, but there's nothing between Tyler and me." _And there never can be._

She leans across the table. "Then why are you protecting him?"

"Because I don't want his blood on my hands and I don't want him suffering the same fate Travis and Ben did!"

An awkward silence settles between us. Elena focuses her attention on her lap, fiddling with her fingers and plucking at her skirt while I stir my drink and watch the swirling ice cubes as they bump into each other. "Jeremy—"

"You don't get it, do you? Matt's out there, Elena and he's going to find me."

I bury my face in my arms as I lay my head down on the table. There's some shuffling across from me and then my seat cushion shifts before her arms wrap around my shoulders. Leaning back, my head now on her shoulder, I feel oddly like a child being comforted by his mother as she smoothed my hair back. "Jer, I get it," she says, her voice soft and soothing, "you're scared. But I'm just one person; there's only so much I can do. You need to tell someone else."

"They won't believe me," I mutter and pull away. "Matt was proven innocent of Travis and Ben's murderers."

"Jeremy—"

"I said no and that's final." Standing, I storm out of Starbucks.

She follows and glares at me. "Why do you have to be so damn stubborn?"

"All part of my charm, sweetie," I say with a smirk.

"Jeremy. Jeremy, wait," she catches my hand as I turn towards my car. "You can't keep doing this. Their deaths weren't—"

I spin around so fast she gasps and leaves her sentence dangling. "The hell they weren't! I told them everything and look what happened!" I shut my eyes and look away, a few tears spilling down my cheeks. "I never should've told you anything, but I did and now your life's in danger. I won't make that mistake with Tyler."

"Shouldn't I have a say in my own fate?" A new voice asks. I freeze, recognizing it instantly. How the hell did he find me? I thought I lost him. "Guess you weren't counting on me knowing about your little detour or me following you, huh?" Tyler approaches while Elena glances between us and moves next to me in a protective stance.

I look around but there's nowhere to run. "Tyler, you don't know what you're doing." My voice is weak and raspy. "_Please_ forget about me. I am begging you, please go away."

He stops in front of me. "Not happening, Jeremy," he says, his eyes boring into mine. "I want you to tell me the truth."

"I…I can't." Abruptly I collapse to the ground, pull my knees against my chest, and bury my face. "I can't be responsible for your death too."

His warm breath tickles my ears as he wraps a comforting arm around my shoulders and holds me against his chest. Protesting, I struggle to break free. When that doesn't work, I heave a sigh of defeat and lean into his embrace. An almost immediate and welcoming sense of comfort and protection washes over me.

"I'm dangerous to be around," I say, my words muffled by his shirt.

He chuckles and massages my shoulder. "I'll take my chances. I'm not going anywhere."

Elena kneels in front of me and grasps my hand, her eyes bright with unshed tears. "Jer, please just tell him."

My throat tightens; unbidden images flash through my mind of Travis and Ben lying face down on the ground, pools of blood and brains staining the ground. Police ruled both deaths as suicidal, but I knew better; later that night with Matt straddling my hips, he told me next time he'd force me to watch if I dared breath a word of this to anyone else before he shoved himself inside me.

Elena finding out had been a mistake. I left my notebook, where I not only recorded story ideas and brief sketches of my drawings, but also my private and personal thoughts, out in the open and she read it. Furious I refused to talk to her, but after a week of not hearing from her and when I learned that she hadn't been into work for two days, I tracked her down, fearful of Matt's return. Turns out she'd just had a real, nasty cold. Once better, she confronted me and I told her everything.

"Jeremy?" Tyler's voice breaks into my thoughts as he caresses the side of my face. I tense and wait for another flashback. When one doesn't appear, I relax but only just. "Please, Jeremy. Tell me."

Tears gather in my eyes. Elena's right. I can't keep fighting this battle by myself. "All right," I say and take several deep, calming breathes; here goes nothing. "What do you want to know?"

**Author's Note**: Yes, I'm aware that this is (and all the updates that I promised yesterday) are _very_ late but I was having trouble uploading them and I couldn't figure out why. It's now 2:06 am for me and I'm still wide awake. I got this thought and tried it. Voila! You have updated stories. I didn't realize I needed to reread the guidelines every time I post a new chapter. Oh well now I do and hopefully this won't happen again in the future. I am _so_ sorry to everyone who was anxiously awaiting updates yesterday. When I make a promise to update by a certain date, I try my absolute best to keep it. But at least now you guys know. So sorry again for the wait and hopefully these new chapters make up for the delay.


	3. Chapter 3

**Warnings**: Slash, non related, Swearing, Rape, Nonconsensual Incest, Implied Murder, Abuse, & Character Deaths

**Disclaimer**: Nothing you recognize belongs to me.

~***Chapter Three: Sweet Surrender***~

"Everything," says Tyler. "I want to know everything."

I nod as violent stabs of terror tears through my heart. _Everything. He wants to know _everything_. Can I really do that?_ Elena squeezes my hand. I glance up and she offers me a reassuring smile. Briefly gripping her hand, I return the gesture.

"All right." As I climb to my feet, I realize we're still in the Starbucks parking lot and people are watching.

"Maybe we should relocate to a more private location?" Elena asks. _My thoughts exactly_. Tyler agrees.

"We can go back to my apartment; it's only three blocks away." I turn towards Tyler. "You can follow me."

He raises his eyebrows. "You're not gonna ditch me again, are you?"

Swallowing hard, I stare at the ground. If only I could go back to before I ever met Tyler. Maybe none of this would've happened.

"No, I won't ditch you," I say, my voice cracking. Clearing my throat, I look at Elena. "Elena, you need a ride?"

"I'll go with Tyler if that's all right with you?" Tyler nods his agreement. Grinning, she faces me. "This way in case traffic gets heavy he'll still get to your apartment."

I purse my lips as she and I lock gazes. _You better not ditch him again_, goes unspoken. She doesn't trust me not to give Tyler the slip again; I grimace, because given the chance I would; anything to prevent him from learning about my past skeletons. Nodding again, I turn towards my car. Elena follows.

"You're not going to chicken out, are you?" She lays her hand on mine and prevents me from opening my car door.

I sigh and shake my head. Even if I was I can't with her riding with Tyler. "Elena, _please_ tell me I'm doing the right thing."

"It'll be all right." She rests her forehead against mine. "I'll be right there next to you the entire time."

"Don't you have work later?"

"You're more important; I'll tell my boss I have a family emergency." She touches my cheek. "Don't worry. It'll be all right." She kisses my cheek before walking over to where Tyler waited. Sighing, I slide into my car, buckle my seat belt, and pull up to the exit; seeing Tyler's car in my review mirror, I drive the three blocks to my apartment.

An awkward silence stretches as I unlock my front door and Tyler and Elena follow me inside; the three of us glance around, unsure of what to say.

"You want anything to drink?" I ask while heading towards my kitchen. Yes, I'm stalling; anything to prolong this conversation.

Elena cuts me off. "That's all right, Jeremy. I got it."

After getting Tyler's request—water—she disappears; moments later cupboard doors opening and closing, glasses clinking together, and running water fill the air. Tyler stands opposite me and shifts his weight. Desperately I try to think of some way to ease the tension. Hearing Elena's shoes clicking on the tile floor, warning us of her approach, I walk over my living room and stand by the window, watching the traffic congestion and pedestrians hurrying along the ground. Rays of sunlight pour in through my glass and give the furniture a golden hue. Closing my blinds, I remember as a child I always wanted to live in a two story house; now, I live on the seventh floor of my apartment building and have a spectacular view of…an empty lot overgrown with weeds and used as a trash dump site. _There's nothing like looking at desolate grounds to make yourself feel better._

Elena clears her throat. Startled, I turn and find her and Tyler watching me. I groan and rub my sweat-damp palms on my thighs, feeling like I'm at my execution.

Elena sits on the couch and motions for Tyler to join her. As he does, he catches sight of a photo frame on the coffee table and picks it up. "Is this your family?"

"Uh-huh." I shift closer and point to each member. "That's my mom, my dad, and my brothers, Damon and…" I trail off while staring at the picture. _He_ stood with his arms around my neck and held me in an almost headlock grip; at the time I was laughing but now I recognize his almost predatory expression and swallow. I'd only been thirteen so _his _abuse didn't start until the following year; apparently that didn't prevent _his_ feelings. "Those are my brothers, Damon and…M-M-Matt."

Tyler frowns. "You two don't get along?"

"_That's_ an understatement." Elena snorts. "People like him shouldn't…"

"Elena…don't." Sighing, she slumps back against the couch and crosses her arms, muttering. A hand touches my shoulder. Startled, I jump, stumbling backwards, tripping over my footstool, and crashing against the wall. Groaning, I sit up and massage my forehead, my ears ringing and my head throbbing. Out of the corner of my eye I glimpse a hand coming towards me and flinch away.

"Jeremy," Tyler says, his tone hurt, "I told you I'm not gonna hurt you."

"That's what _he_ said too and then _he_…" Pressing my lips together, I push myself to my feet, my eyes wet and it's only then that I register the tears gathering. "I can't do this. Tyler, _please_ don't make me do this. I'm sick of being haunted by these memories."

"What memories?" His arms, hanging limp at his sides, twitch as if he wants to hold me. "Jeremy, what are you talking about? You're not making sense."

"Let me talk to him." Elena makes her way towards me. My eyes widen and I watch, terrified, as she approaches.

_Holding me down, __Matt straddles my hips and reaches down to yank off my pajama pants. I whimper and strain against the handcuffs, which keep my hands trapped above my head. He just smiles and holds a finger against his lips._

"_Shh, Jeremy. You'll wake up Mom, Dad and Damon." He leans closer and licks my ear. I shudder and squeeze my eyes shut, his erection against my thigh. "Remember, it's our little secret."_

"Stay away from me!" I scream and stagger back. Tyler stares at me in shock while Elena, although she too looks surprised, flashes me a look of understanding. "Just leave me alone. I don't want to talk about it. It won't solve anything!" Grabbing the nearest object, I hurl it against the wall. Splinters of glass shatter and litter the ground. I drop to my knees, wrap my arms around them, and bury my face. "I just want to be left alone."

"Jeremy, _please_." Her voice sounds so far away and choked.

"I can't do it. Please don't make me do this." Rocking back and forth, I whisper those words over and over in a broken chant. Abruptly a strong pair of arms circles my waist and holds me close, their warmth soothing and healing.

"It's all right, Jeremy," Tyler says into my ear. Startled, I realize he's been the one holding and comforting me, but I no longer have enough strength to fight. "Please tell me. Maybe I can help."

I've never felt so…comfortable and at ease around another male; with Elena it took almost a year before I allowed her to touch me and even then it'd only been through small gestures, like a hand on my shoulder or a hug. More intimate displays of affection recently started. But Tyler…I've known him for a week and here I am letting him hold me like a lover. There's just something about him, something about his eyes. Turning around, I throw my arms around his neck and bury my face in his chest.

"It wasn't my fault," I say, my voice soft. "Please you have to believe me. It wasn't my fault. I didn't want it."

"Shh, shh. I believe you." His arms tighten around me, pulling me closer and running his fingers through my hair. "It's all right. I've got you. You're safe now."

Safe? Squeezing my eyes shut, I shake my head. I'll never be safe. Not as long as _he's_ out there.

"He destroyed my life."

"Who destroyed your life?" His hand rests against my back while his fingertips rub small circles into my skin.

My fists clench and unclench. My lips tremble. The words are on the tip of my tongue, but I refuse to say them. Glancing over at Elena, I see she's returned to the couch, giving Tyler and me space, but tears pour down her cheeks, her eyes pleading with me: _tell him!_

"Matt." Tyler's body stiffens and it isn't until I feel him pull back and tilt my chin up that I realized I'd spoken aloud.

"What'd he do?" he asks his eyes dark with anger.

The words spill from my mouth. "Matt…he…he raped me."

"What the fuck?" Horrified, he stares at me and his arms tighten. "What kind of sick bastard gets off by raping his _younger_ brother?"

"It wasn't just once either." Elena gasps, pressing a hand over her mouth, her eyes widening. I never told her how long _he_ abused me. "He did it for two years." I shy away as I don't want to see the disgust or pity in his eyes.

"_Pathetic," Matt says, his lips peeling back in a sneer. "You can't even stand up against your own brother?" His hands close around my neck and squeeze. Gasping, my hands fly to his and struggle to pry his fingers loose; he's too strong though. My attempts grow weaker. Darkness ebbs away at my vision. _

_He sh__akes his head, his eyes disappointed. "I expected more of a fight from you, Jeremy, worthless, helpless wimp."_

_Releasing me, he laugh__s as I roll onto my side, coughing and sucking in needed air. The bed shifts and I hear his footsteps moving towards the door, opening and closing it, and walking down the hall, before it's completely silent. Turning over onto my back I stare up at my ceiling; what happened to my protective and loving brother, Matt?_

"Jeremy." Gently, Tyler grasps my face and turns it towards his. "Why didn't you go to someone for help?"

I lower my eyes and stare at my lap, picking at a patch of dried skin on my hand. "I did. I told two of my older friends, Ben Richardson and Travis Mueller, but somehow Matt found out and…he found them a permanent, new residence…Oak Parkland Cemetery. He said if I ever tried to get help again…he'd kill me too."

Tyler draws me back into his arms. "It'll be all right, Jeremy."

I wrestle against him as my mind registers what I just told him. _He's_ going to murder me! "How can you say that? _He's_ out there and _he's_ going to find me."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," he says in a strained voice. "Jeremy, I'd die before I let him hurt you again."

Finally I break away from him and stare at him. "Why are you doing this, Tyler? You hardly know me."

He crawls towards me and when he reaches out for me, this time I don't flinch or move away. Gently he strokes my cheek. Shutting my eyes, I lean into his caress as his fingertips trail down to my jaw before they stop under my chin.

"Three years ago my sister was murdered after being beaten by her boyfriend."

I freeze and inhale a sharp breath. Elena looks pained. "Tyler, I'm so sorry."

His eyes grow distant and clouded with memories. "After her autopsy, they found his semen and were able to convict the bastard, but that didn't bring my sister back. Later while going through her belongings, I found her journal. He'd been abusing her for six months and I never noticed. I am-was her older brother! I should've seen there was something wrong. I'm supposed to know things like that."

My eyes burn with tears and I shake my head, feeling a deeper connection with Tyler. "There's not way you could've known."

He ignores me. "I promised myself I'd never let another person go through something like that." Blinking, he turns towards me and lays his hand on mine. "When I first saw you, Jeremy I knew something was troubling you. Remember how I told you I have a tendency to come on too strong?" I nod. "Although that's true, that wasn't my main reason for watching you. I'd been watching you for the last two weeks; the only reason you saw me was because I let you." I stare at him, horror evident in my eyes. So he did stalk me! Was he really some pervert who preyed on younger boys? "Jeremy, no. It wasn't like that. I just wanted to help you. Please don't shut me out. It's what friends do."

Slightly freaked out about his stalkerish habits, I still like the fact that he was willing to protect me—a complete stranger—and for the first time I feel cherished, wanted, _needed_. But why, of all people, is Tyler the only person able to affect me and stir up dormant emotions, even after my rape?

"A-Are we friends?"

He grips my hands. "If you want to be and I swear I'll rip off Matt's balls and shove them up his ass before letting him near you again."

Biting my lip, I turn away as tears spill over and slid down my cheek. "Thank you," I say, overcome with emotion. This time I don't resist when he wraps his arms around my waist and holds me against his chest.

**Author's Note**: As promised, here is the next chapter of Closet Skeletons but I am still working on To Make You Feel Our Love. Hopefully that one will be up within the next two days. Please leave me a review and tell me what you thought of this new chapter. Thank you again for all your previous comments. I really love hearing from all of you guys. You're the best!


	4. Chapter 4

**Warnings**: Slash, nonrelated, Swearing, Implied Rape, Violence, & Abuse

**Disclaimer**: Nothing you recognize belongs to me but I do own the character of Charlie.

~***Chapter Four: Journey through My Past***~

Groaning at the extra weight on my hips, I open my eyes and seeing Tyler's grinning face, I close them again, grab a pillow, and hold it over my face. It's too early for this.

"Come on, Jeremy," Tyler says, bouncing up and down. "It's time to get up."

"Leave me alone!" I'm really regretting having given him my extra apartment key.

"Nope," he laughs and tugs away my pillow. "It's time to rise and shine, Mr. Grumpy Pants."

Glancing over at my clock and spotting the red numbers, 7:30 am, blinking back at me, I glare and yank my covers up over my head. Does Tyler have a death wish? Sure, he's one of my best friends, but after knowing each other for eight months I would've thought he knew better than to wake me up before nine on the weekend.

The bed shifts as Tyler moves off my hips. I roll over onto my side and sigh. Finally he gets the hint.

"Get up!"

My eyes snap open as my mattress lifts into the air and I tumble to the ground in a mess of limbs and sheets. Wrenching off my covers, I scowl up at Tyler while he doubles over in laughter.

"I hate you."

"No, you don't," he says, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Without me, your life would be—"

"Normal? Less hectic?"

His eyes narrow and he shoves my shoulder playfully. "Boring."

I shake my head, yawning and stretching. "All right, I'm up. So what possessed you to wake me up at the ungodly hour of 7:30?"

He grins. "Go eat breakfast and then shower. We, my friend, are going out."

"Where are we going?" I ask while tugging on my jeans and then reaching for a shirt before deciding to go bare-chested; it's my place after all.

"Un-uh, that's for me to know and you to find out. Now, go eat."

"Yes, _Mother_." I dodge as a pillow, aimed at my head, falls short. "Nice shooting there, Tex, but your aim's a bit off."

I take off running before he can respond. As I hurry down the hall, I hear something sizzling from the kitchen and smell bacon. Images of Tyler leaving the stove unattended and burning our breakfast fill my head and I quicken my steps. However, as I enter my kitchen I'm greeted with sight of Elena standing over my stove, flipping bacon and scrambling the eggs.

"Morning, Jeremy." She smiles as she glances over her shoulder and waves the spatula in a greeting.

"Tyler! I want my key back."

Elena laughs. "You say that every morning and yet he still has it."

"This time I mean it!" I huff as I sit down at the table. Elena hands me a cup of orange juice. "We should just get an apartment together," I say as I sip my drink. "You guys practically live here!"

"That's not a bad idea." Tyler bounds into the kitchen and drops down beside me. "Elena and I have actually been talking about that."

She agrees as she places two plates of bacon, scrambled eggs, and bisects in front of Tyler and me, before grabbing one for herself. No one speaks and for a while the only sounds heard are forks scrapping the plates and chewing. Normally our breakfasts are filled with laughter and joking around.

Something's up.

"All right," I say and lay aside my fork, "what's going on?"

Elena chokes on her drink while Tyler freezes with a bite of eggs halfway to his mouth.

"W-what do you mean, Jeremy?" Elena asks her voice scratchy from coughing.

I roll my eyes. "Neither of you have said anything since we started eating and Tyler keeps glancing at his watch. So, what's the secret?" Exchanging quick glances, they stare at their food, silent. I raise an eyebrow, propping my elbow on the table and resting my cheek against my fist; my fingernails rap against the table as I wait. "Well?"

Tyler sighs. "We're just waiting for the gang to get here."

I gape at them. Didn't they think to warn me that my apartment would soon be over run with four more people? "Excuse me? When were you planning on telling me this?"

He grimaces and shoots Elena a pleading look. "It was supposed to be a surprise," he mutters.

I lean back in my chair and rub my forehead. While I'm not really upset, I don't like being caught off guard either, especially since that's what _he_ constantly did.

"Tyler, I'm not mad." I reach out and lay my hand over his; lifting his head, he flashes me a hopeful glance. "Just next time warn me, okay?"

"But, that defeats the purpose of surprises."

I roll my eyes again and shake my head. "So when are they due to arrive?" Just then I hear a loud knock. My eyes widen.

"Uh…now?"

I growl. "Tyler Michael Lockwood, you are so dead!"

He stumbles out of his chair and races down the hall, me hot on his tail, Elena's laughter following in our wake as she answers the door. Cornering Tyler in my room, I tackle him onto my bed. Playfully, we roll around and throw fake punches and kicks. Because of his quicker reflexes and several sneaky moves, he manages to straddle my hips and pins my arms above my head.

"Okay, okay. You win. Now, get off," I say, breathless and buck my hips up to dislodge him.

My actions generate the opposite effect

Something flashes in his eyes as an unfamiliar emotion uncoils inside my stomach. Swallowing, I watch, my eyes focused on his mouth as it parts and his eyes dilate; with our gazes locked, he bends down but then pauses, his lips inches from mine. Puffs of air caress my skin. I can't help closing my eyes and whimpering at the feel of his body pressing into mine: so different than _his_, more intimate and satisfying. When Tyler doesn't move, I lift my gaze and meet his as he hovers over me, uncertain of how to proceed. Without know why, I cup his face and swipe my thumb across his cheek; his eyes fall shut as he nuzzles my palm. I swallow again; what is happening?

"Uh guys?"

Elena's hesitant voice shatters our moment.

Tyler scrambles off me and I flip over on my stomach, my cheeks flushing pink as Stefan, Charlie, Luca, Bonnie, and Elena watch us.

"Do we need to chaperon you two now?"

Stefan's teasing comment prompts snickers from Charlie and Luca while Elena and Bonnie smack the back of their heads and give each guy a pointed "could you be anymore callus?" looks. While Tyler's face now rivals of a tomato, I drop my gaze to my comforter, fiddling with and plucking at a loose button.

Although both Tyler and I "came out" several months ago, it's still embarrassing whenever our friends walk in on Tyler and I rough housing and assume it means more. Stuttering uncomfortably, Tyler jumps off my bed, shoves Stefan's shoulder, and disappears out the door, Stefan, Luca and Charlie following. Groaning, I bury my head in my arms but glance up when the bedsprings squeak and find Bonnie and Elena sitting beside me.

"Are you okay, Jeremy?" Bonnie asks and strokes my hair. I nod.

"It's Tyler, isn't it?" Elena sits on my other side. "You like him."

"But that's not possible!"

"Why not?"

"You know why, Elena," I say, my tone an almost snarl.

She sighs and holds up her hands up in a defensive gesture. "Jeremy, it's been eight months. It's okay to move on."

Bonnie glances back and forth between us, confused as only Tyler and Elena know about my rape. Although I want to confide in the others, I can't bring myself to. And now with my emotions going haywire around Tyler I don't know what to do. Of all my friends, he and I were always different. It doesn't matter that I was abused, I often sit on his lap or he and I'll cuddle on the couch while watching TV; the closeness doesn't bother me.

"Go take a shower, sweetie." Elena pats my leg. "Then get dressed and meet us in your living room when you're ready." I slide off my bed and head towards my adjourning bathroom.

After brushing my teeth, I strip off my pants and switch on the shower. When I'm content with the temperature, I step under the spray, lean my head back, and sigh. Warm water trickles down my body and relaxes my muscle knots. Reaching for my shampoo, I pour a generous amount in my palm and scrub my scalp. Although eight months have passed since we met, people assume Tyler and I have known each other longer. Hell, sometimes I believe that too.

Once I confided in him about my past, he rarely left me alone and we shared frequent sleepovers. Smiling, I tilt my head back and rinse my curls. After telling Tyler, things got awkward between us as neither of us were sure how to act. What _he_ had done left me scarred to the point of me freaking out whenever a guy brushed against me or touched me in any way, whether sexual or friendly.

Tyler was different. I could talk to him about anything, but paving our friendship was a rough road.

Because of what happened with _him_, I refused to hang out with Tyler unless Elena came too. However, one time she couldn't and I almost cancelled our plans, except Tyler showed up on my doorstep and wouldn't leave. Stiffly I sat down on the couch while he shuffled through my DVD collection. Selecting and putting on _The Italian Job,_ he faced me. A tense silence followed before he sat in a chair across the room. I knew he didn't have a very good view, but could I handle him sitting closer? _He_ had always sat extremely close, _his_ arms wrapped around my shoulders in a possessive display of ownership.

Swallowing hard, I glanced over at Tyler. "Why are you sitting all the way over there? The view's better from the couch."

"I'm making you uncomfortable," he said, his eyes never leaving the screen as opening credits rolled. I bit my lip and stared at my lap. _Was I _that _transparent?_ "Jere." I jumped; that was Elena's nickname for me. It sounded so foreign coming from Tyler's lips. "I'm not Matt and I will never take advantage of you."

I pulled my knees up and held them against my chest. "I know that…or at least my head knows that. It's just really hard. I want to trust you, but I'm scared if I let my guard down I'll—"

"Get hurt again?" he asked. I nodded not all that surprised at his ability to echo my exact thoughts as he often did. Hearing the chair groaning at a change in pressure, I watched him move towards me. Slowly he eased himself down on the far end of the couch, careful to keep his distance. Breathing hard, I clenched my fists, fighting the urge to run. I wanted to believe he'd never hurt me but I just couldn't lower my guard. "Is this okay? Am I too close?" I shook my head, but even so I scooted farther away. Tyler sighed.

"I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologize. It's gonna take time." He smiled at me and turned back to watch the movie. "I'm not giving up on you, Jeremy."

Distant friendly—that's how Tyler and I acted around each other for the next two months. Growing impatient, I tested my limits by calling him up and inviting him over for a guys' day. He sounded surprised, but he still came. I went out and bought an assortment of junk food, careful not to go too overboard.

When he arrived, I asked him to pick out another DVD while I poured the drinks. This time he chose _Lucky # Sleven_. Coming out of the kitchen I found him sitting on the couch again and grinned. That's right where I wanted him. Careful not to spill, I placed the drinks down on the coffee table. However, instead of claiming the other side of the sofa—my normal seat according to him—I settled down right beside him. His eyes wide, he stared at me.

"Is this okay?" I asked, echoing his words.

Slowly he nodded. I smiled, grabbing the remote and pressing play. Halfway through, I gained enough courage to lay my head on his shoulder. Choking on his drink, he stared down at me, his body growing tense and his heart thumping in a rapid rhythm. When I didn't feel my usual impulse to shrink away, I took that as a sign of progress and shifted closer. This really didn't feel so bad, very comfortable. Unfortunately, my close presence forced Tyler to pay more attention to me instead of the movie as he later told me his eyes kept alternating between me and the TV screen and expecting me to freak out and push him away.

I didn't.

During the last fifteen minutes Tyler laid a hesitant arm across my shoulders. I sighed and pushed myself even closer.

"Comfortable?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, thank you. Your shoulder makes a great pillow."

"So does this mean…?"

"I'm relaxing around you? Yes. But, just go slow." He agreed.

From that day on, we experimented with various displays of affection until we were able to graduate to the point of where Tyler can now straddle my hips and I don't have to worry about flashbacks plaguing my mind.

Cool water jolts me out of my thoughts. After turning off the shower, I snag a nearby towel, patting my face dry before rubbing the fluffy material over the rest of my body. Tying the towel around my waist, I wipe my hand across the foggy mirror before combing and styling my hair. Once finished, I return to my room and wince at the cold air hitting my skin as billows of stream filter out of the bathroom. Moisture clinging to my skin, I slip on my favorite khaki pants, a light blue button up shirt, and converses, before leaving to rejoin my friends.

Silence and darkness greets me.

"Tyler? Elena? Stefan? Bonnie? Luca? Charlie?" My eyes adjusting to the darkness, I stumble along the hallway and fumble for a light switch. What is going on? Nearby I hear one of the girls giggling. "Come on you guys, this isn't funny."

Abruptly the lights flash on. Hissing, I throw my hand over my eyes and stagger back as my friends leap out from hiding and scream,

"Surprise!"

Blinking, I stare at the balloons and multicolored streamers hanging from my ceiling that hadn't decorated my living room before I went to take a shower. Either they worked fast or I took a longer shower than expected. In front of me, a banner stretches across the far wall, written in bold letters saying, Happy 22nd Birthday, Jere. An arm wraps around my shoulder and I turn to lock gazes with Tyler's grinning face. Unable to help it, I smile back.

"Surprised?" he asks.

I nod. "Is this what you were talking about earlier?"

He doesn't answer; instead he leads me over to where my cake waits: triple layered and chocolate flavored. While everyone chants for me to make a wish, I shut my eyes, breathing in deep, and blow out all the candles, chuckling at everyone's playful applause and cheers. As Elena cuts and dishes out the cake, I glance around at all my friends; what do I need wishes for? I have everything I've ever wanted.

Feeling Tyler standing beside me, I set down my plate and hug him tight. "Thanks, Tyler."

He holds me tight and presses his face into my neck at an angle that allows his lips to graze the base of my throat. I shiver and clutch his shoulders. All too quickly though he draws back. I swallow my groan of disappointment.

"Eat up," he says, his face flushing as he turns away. "This day is far from over."

**Author's Note**: Hey everyone. I hope you all enjoyed this last chapter. Thank you to everyone who has read and commented on it. I really do appreciate your reviews. You're all the best! :D :D

Below is my updating schedule for this current week as it's difficult for me to update three stories altogether every few days. So from now on I will only be posting the next chapter to one story per day. Hopefully this works out better.

**Update**** Schedule for This Week**:

Open Your Heart to Us—chapter seven—updated 10 July

Closet Skeletons—chapter four—updated 11 July

To Make You Feel Our Love—chapter four—update 12 July

Open Your Heart to Us—chapter eight—update 13 July

Closet Skeletons—chapter five—update 14 July

To Make You Feel Our Love—chapter five—update 15 July (will be completed!)

Open Your Heart to Us—chapter nine—update 16 July

Closet Skeletons—chapter six—update 17 July


	5. Chapter 5

**Warnings**: Slash, nonrelated, Incest, Language, Rape, Slight Violence, and Abuse

**Disclaimer**: Nothing you recognize belongs to me. I do, however, own the characters Charlie, Rob, and Mason Everson. Khialee (pronounced Kay-Lee) Beach also doesn't exist except in this story.

~***Chapter Five: You Belong to Me***~

After cake and presents, Tyler announces it's time to go—where I don't know as they refuse to share that bit of information with me. While Stefan, Elena, Tyler, and I pile into Tyler's car, the others carpool with Charlie. For the first five minutes, as I fiddle with the radio dial, I ask, no _beg_ Tyler to tell me where we're going, but he smiles and shakes his head. In a fit of childlike pouting, I cross my arms and huff. The others laugh and I can't help joining in.

Leaning my head back against my seat rest, I drum my fingers against my thigh, matching the rhythm of the song playing on the speakers as I watch trees, pedestrians, and other cars melting together in a blur. _What's got Tyler in such a hurry?_

As he merges onto the highway, I roll my window down and close my eyes, enjoying the breeze blowing my hair about my face. Behind me, Elena squeals as she struggles to flatten her wind-blown hair. Stefan observes her frantic movements with what most would call an annoyed expression but the lines around the corner of his mouth give him away. I sigh in content at the feel of the warm air; perfect beach weather.

Fingers curl around mine.

Startled, my eyes snap open and I stare at Tyler's hand gripping mine.

"All right there, baby boy?" he asks.

I nod. _Baby boy?_ _That's a new nickname_. I raise an eyebrow, but he laughs and returns his attention to the road. In the back seat, Elena and Stefan are bickering about relationships and according to Elena men dance around their feelings whereas women are more than willing to admit them. Stefan scoffs and declares that relationships revolve around more than emotions. Shaking my head, I tune out the rest of their conversation; this is one I don't need to jump in the middle of.

Sometime later, the air turns salty and I glimpse and hear the telltale cries of seagulls as they circle the sky. I glance over at Tyler; he still doesn't answer as he switches on his turning signal and drives down a bumpy and windy road lined with bits of sand and stray bits of seaweed. Ten minutes later, we drive underneath a wooden sign and pull into the parking lot of Khialee Beach.

We spend the morning and better half of the afternoon on the sandy shore playing several games of volleyball and Frisbee, chasing each other through the water, and eating our lunch. Even though it's only four in that afternoon, physical fatigue lures me into a brief nap as Tyler drives us to my second birthday surprise.

The car lurches to a stop later and I slowly crack my eyes open and expect to see my apartment; instead I find myself staring at a little hole in the wall building, the sign, _Rob's Bar,_ flashing bright. My mouth drops.

"Surprised?" Tyler laughs at my expression as I stutter to reply.

Blinking, I turn towards him and raise my eyebrows. "Rob's Bar?"

"We haven't been here in a while and I thought it'd be a perfect way to end your birthday celebration."

Unbuckling my seatbelt, I lunge towards him and engulf him in a hug. "Thank you," I say, my lips brushing against his ear. He shivers, but holds me tight. Then pulling away, far too quick for my taste, he climbs out of the car; the rest of us follow and troop inside.

Loud music blares from the old jukebox in the corner. In the center is a large bar where Rob scurries back and forth preparing both drinks and meals. Spotting us on the stairs, he waves and gestures towards our preferred booth. Once seated, I glance around. Not many people know about Rob's Bar, but that's probably why I like it so much—a quiet place to escape noisy crowds. Regulars surround the pool tables, colliding balls being sunk coupled with either cheers of triumphant or groan of disappointment fill the air.

"Hey, strangers," Rob's voice breaks into my thoughts as he approaches. "It's been a while. Where ya'll been?" Although 5'9, Rob weighs 150 pounds and tattoos snake down his beefy, muscular arms, adding to his whole ex biker look; he's only missing the leather jacket and spikes.

"Sorry, Rob. We've been a little busy with either school or work." Tyler's arm drapes across the back of my chair.

Rob's gaze turns mischievous. "Ah, I see. Seems you and Jeremy have finally decided to stop dancing around each other too, huh?"

My eyes widen. "What? No! We're just friends, Rob. Tyler surprised me this morning by getting the gang together and taking us here for my birthday."

"Ah yes, thought you had a birthday coming up. Twenty-two, right?" I nod. "Well, in that case today's on me, guys. So what'll you have?"

While everyone orders, I gaze at Rob, blown away. He rarely gives people free meals, but I guess he really missed us. He always claimed we were the highlight of his evenings. After we ordered, I glance over at Tyler, but he's looking at me weird. Is that hurt in his eyes? Before I can look closer, he challenges Luca to a game of foosball. Charlie and Stefan follow.

"What'd I say?" I ask, staring at both girls. They both shake their heads at me.

"Jeremy, are you really that blind?" Bonnie says. Elena gasps and smacks the back of her head, but her words have already hit.

"Real subtle, you idiot." Elena faces me. "Tyler likes you, but you shot him down by saying you were 'just friends,'" she says, using air quotes.

I bury my face in my hands. "Well, what was I supposed to say?"

She lays a hand on my shoulder and rubs it. "How about the truth?"

Without answering, I catch sight of someone and slide out of the booth, maneuvering my way over to the pool tables where my pool partner waits. While cuing up, I feel someone watching. Glancing over my shoulder, I lock gazes with Tyler, his expression unreadable. I sigh and thrust my cue forward, breaking, and sinking two solid balls. _We're just friends._ My words echo in my mind as I walk around the table, observing my partner as he positions his cue, shots, and scratches.

Is Tyler only my friend?

A few hours and several shots later, I'm sitting on Tyler's lap, laughing, and experiencing a slight buzz. I've only been drunk once before, but didn't enjoy the feeling, so now Tyler watches and stops me before I go too far. Tyler, on the other hand, is completely sober. Thankfully, were back to our playful banter, the earlier misunderstanding forgotten, but I can still read traces of hurt lingering in his eyes if I look hard enough. Together we watch a drunken Stefan pin an equally intoxicated Elena against the wall, their lips fused together and their hands wandering anywhere and everywhere.

"Think they'll ever admit their feelings?" I ask, snuggling back against Tyler's chest and smiling when his arms wrap around me.

"Doubtful; they're just too stubborn."

"Maybe we should lock them in a closet and let them figure it out."

He looks down at me, his eyes darkening. "Oh, kinky," he says, his voice dropping to a huskier tone while licking his lips.

I shove his shoulder and roll my eyes. "Gutter mind."

"You know you like it."

My reply's cut off as he leans forward and nibbles on my ear. Frozen by this hesitant moment of intimacy, I clutch his shirt but don't resist his advances. Involuntarily, a moan falls from my lips as I bend my head back. Tyler attacks my neck, biting and sucking. My eyes close and I feel myself hardening. However, his hand strays too far. I stiffen. Tyler wakes up from his cloudy haze and withdraws his hand, apologizing.

"Too fast," he whispers.

I disagree. "Not ready."

Nodding, Tyler pushes me off his lap and heads over to the bar, probably to clear his head. Shakily, I sink back down into my seat and run my hands through my hair, my skin still pulsing from his touch. I trust Tyler, know he'd never hurt me, so why am I so hesitant?

"Heey tthere, cuutiee," a drunken voice slurs behind me. I turn, spot a wasted Mason Eberson behind me, and groan. When is that creep gonna learn that no means no?

"Mason, I'm not in the mood." I sigh, hopping off my stool and heading towards the bar in search of Tyler. Since my first time here, Mason has repeatedly flirted with me, determined to fuck me; when my polite rebuffs didn't work, I flat out told him that I wasn't interested. Unfortunately, he's never taken the hint; persistent creeper.

"Awwww, bbabbyy don't bbbbeee like tthat." He loops his arms around my waist and drags me backwards, pinning me against his chest. Lips sloppily press against my neck. Tensing, I flip around and press my hands against his chest, straining to escape. He tugs me closer and fits our bodies together. Grimacing, I renew my struggles and stumble as he moves forward before trapping me against a nearby wall. "I ccoould mmake you ffeeel sooooo ggoooodd."

"Excuse me, asshole, he's taken!" Strong arms wrench Mason off me and relax as Tyler's familiar presence surrounds me. "Back the fuck off!" Huffing, Mason stumbles away and I sigh. Still holding me, Tyler leads me over to a booth on the other side of the room and glares at anyone who looks at me wrong. "Are you all right?" I nod, my heart still pounding as adrenaline pumps through my veins. "You reject him every time he does this; you'd think he'd take a hint." Again I nod, kicking my feet back and forth and fighting the nauseous feeling assaulting my stomach. "Jeremy?" He kneels beside me and tilts my chin up.

"Can we go?" I ask, refusing to look at him.

"Sure." I wince at his dejected tone. "Go wash your face. I'll tell the others you aren't feeling well and I'm taking you home."

Keeping my head bowed, I hurry down the hall to the bathroom. As the door swings shut behind me, I switch on the faucet, splashing water over my face and feeling the droplets trickle down my skin. Staring at my reflection I try to pick out attractive features that cause other guys to want and/or hurt me. Yet, I only see an average young man with a mess of dark hair, a few strands hanging over my dull, brown eyes. There's nothing special or beautiful about them. My skin, compared to Tyler's tanned complexion, is sickly pale; his cropped straight hair that hangs just right and begs to have fingers run through it. His morning runs have gifted him with a lithe yet strong body whereas mine is soft especially my stomach. Why would guys want me?

At the whooshing sound of the door opening behind me, I keep my gaze down and grip the sink edges as I focus on controlling my breathing. Hearing footsteps approaching, I turn, expecting Tyler, but my body's unexpectedly flipped around and shoved against the wall.

"What the—"

"Hello, Jeremy," an all too familiar voice whispers in my ear as _his_ body presses against mine. I struggle against _him_, opening my mouth to scream. Anticipating that, _he_ snakes an arm around my shoulders and _his_ fingers clamp over my mouth. "Now, now, is that any way to greet your older brother?" Tears fill my eyes as _he_ leans forward and licks my ear. "Did you _really_ believe you could escape me, baby brother?" _He_ rips off my jacket, unbuttoning and unzipping my pants before shoving them down. "Guess I'm going to have to remind you of who you belong to." I shake my head, my eyes wide with fear. "Aw, don't cry, Jeremy. Don't you remember all the fun we used to have?" Behind me, clothes rustle and drop to the ground followed by an all too familiar sound of _him_ preparing himself. Where the hell is Tyler? Abruptly _his_ erection presses against my entrance; my whimpers grow louder and my struggling increases.

That's when I hear them.

Footsteps head down the hall.

Tyler!

_He_ hears them too and growls in frustration. Pulling away, _he_ flips me around and locks our gazes. "We aren't finished yet, Jeremy…not even close. Don't forget, you belong to me."

With that, _he_ shoves me to the ground, buttons and zips _his_ pants before disappearing through the second bathroom exit right as the entrance door opens and reveals Tyler. Seeing me, he rushes towards me and drops to his knees, his hands running over my face, tilting it up and down as he checks for any cuts, scratches, or bruises.

"Jeremy, w-what happened?" Unable to answer, I bury my face in his chest as tears stain my cheeks. "Jeremy," he says, his arms wrapping around me, "you're scaring me."

"H-h-h-he….he…he…"

"Shh, shh deep breathes." He places my hand on his chest and encourages me to mimic his example. After a few minutes of weak and raspy attempts, I manage to calm down. "Can you tell what happened now?"

"He's back…" I say my tone soft. Tyler's face pales. "Matt's back."

Gripping the steering wheel, his knuckles stark white, Tyler's angry sputters fill the air as he drives me home. Although I can't understand everything he's saying, I still catch a few phrases, mainly of promises to inflict bodily harm if _he_ even dares to touch me again. I sit there quiet, my hand resting against his thigh, but even that does little to calm him.

"He didn't do anything, did he?" Tyler asks as he pulls into an empty parking spot and shuts off the engine. I stare at my lap, my throat tight. "Jeremy?"

"You came in before he could…but he was going to…h-he would've…" I can't even say it, but Tyler still understands. After locking his car, he and I head up to my apartment. Emotionally fatigued, I slump against him unable to even unlock my own door. Finally Tyler confiscates my keys, unlocks the door, and leads me inside. "All right, time for bed."

"Don't wanna," I mumble.

Chuckling, he picks me up and carries me into my room. "Get changed and try to get some sleep. I'll be here if you need me."

"You're always here, Tyler," I say, my voice muffled as I tug my shirt over my head.

"I don't plan on going anywhere either. I'll stay with you until you fall asleep, but if you need me I'll be here."

Perched on the edge of my bed, I unlace my converses and tug off my pants before slipping under my sheets. Tyler settles down beside me as his head rests against my headboard. I roll over on my side, switch off my lamp, and lay my head in his lap, praying for a nightmare free sleep.

_Matt__'s face leers above me, sweat pouring from his forehead as he pounds into me. I scream, but my gag muffles it. Laughing, he quickens his pace, his warm breath hitting my face and his groans and moans echoing in my ears. I squeeze my eyes shut._

"_You like that, baby brother?" he gasp__s and arches up. I shake my head and whimper. He brushes away my tears, his eyes dark with lust. "Oh, Jeremy…so tight…you're always so tight."_

_His thrusts __increase as he pries my legs apart, bending and shoving them up against my chest, forcing me to take even more of his cock. My ears throb from the wet slaps of our skin as he braces his hands on either side of my head and drives deeper into me, his rhythm becoming rougher and jerkier. At the slight tension in his arms, I whimper as he throws his head back and arches backwards before spilling inside me; his cries of pleasure intermix with my cries of pain. Collapsing, Matt dips his head and presses it against my sweat-damp forehead, his hips still jolting into me with erratic spasms. I whimper and wince, my body sensitive and shying away but Matt pins me down and forces me into another round._

"Jeremy, Jeremy, wake up!"

The dream dissolves at the sound of Tyler's voice. Gasping, my eyes snap open and I bolt upward, almost bumping foreheads with him. In an instant his arms wrap around me. I crawl onto his lap and curl up against his chest, my eyes stinging from unshed tears and sobs erupt from my throat. He doesn't say anything, just holds me, combing his fingers through my hair and whispering a soothing lullaby in my ear. Once my tears exhaust themselves and my sobs diminish into soft whimpers, he brushes my hair back and kisses my forehead.

"Don't go," I say my voice hoarse from crying.

He nods, shifting until he's lying on his back and fits me against his side. I snuggle closer, my head resting his chest and listening to his heart beating. Tenderly, he runs his fingers up and down my arm, tickling the skin; his chin rests on my head.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asks, careful to keep his tone casual.

I shrug. "It was just another flashback. I'll survive."

He stiffens. "No, I meant about earlier. Jeremy, you can't keep living like this. You need to tell someone."

"I did. I told you."

"Yes, you did, but I'm in no position of authority and can't give you the help you need. With Matt back in town you need to go to the police and report him."

I shake my head. "He's my brother."

Tyler stares at me, his expression incredulous. "You can't be serious! Are you really going to let him get away with this? Jeremy, he—"

"I know, I know, I was there," I say, untangling myself from his grasp and drawing my knees against my chest. "But he didn't do anything tonight."

Tyler sits up and continues to stare. I shift under his scrutiny. "He's really gotten to you, hasn't he? You really believe he won't hurt you anymore after torturing you for two years?"

"What am I supposed to do, Tyler? This is my older brother! If I report him, he'll go to jail. It'll tear my family apart!"

"Do you hear yourself? He's never going to stop, no matter what you believe."

My chest tightens and I feel an all too familiar prickle behind my eyes. Am I ever going to stop crying? "_Please_, Tyler. Don't make me do this. Promise me."

Sighing, he engulfs me in his arms again and holds me tight, but he never responds.

It's been a week since _his_ unexpected appearance at Rob's and since then Tyler and I have been constantly fighting. He, tag teaming with Elena, keeps pressing me to go to the police. I wish I could make them understand. I want to report _him_, really I do, but images of Ben and Travis's murders haunt me as well as _his_ promise of forcing me to watch as _he_ slaughters my friends. I know _he'd _do it and I wouldn't survive losing Elena _and_ Tyler.

"Jeremy," Elena says as she flops down beside me while watching a TiVo'ed episode of Supernatural, "we're just trying to look out for you."

"I appreciate that, Elena, I do, but it's been a week and he hasn't done anything. I really think he only wanted to scare me."

Tyler growls across the room. "Your guard is down, Jeremy. _That's_ what he's wants. Now that you're at your weakest, this is when he'll strike."

"Tyler, seriously…" I trail off as someone knocks on my front door.

Pausing my show, I stand and answer the door. Abruptly a head of familiar straight brown hair crashes against me and I feel myself enveloped in a bear hug before hearing the laughter of my older and middle brother, Damon.

"Hey there, baby brother," he says, ruffling my hair and stepping back. "Thank God we've found you. If it weren't for Matt's constant searching…"

I tune him out, his words chilling my heart. Hesitantly, I glance over his shoulder and tense at the sight of Matt's casual posture as he leans back against my doorframe with his best friend, Klaus, beside him; as our gazes lock, their eyes glint with maliciousness and an uncontainable hunger. I swallow hard.

Shit!

**Author's Note**: Dun, Dun, Dun! Yep, Matt has returned! Please leave me a review and let me know what you thought. Also, To Make You Feel Our Love has been updated and I plan to work on Open Your Heart to Us tomorrow after I finish my chores. Hopefully I'll be able to post a new chapter for that story either tomorrow evening or Tuesday.


	6. Chapter 6

**Warnings**: Slash, Nonrelated, Swearing, Implied Abuse & Manipulation, Brief Dry Humping

**Disclaimer**: Nothing you recognize belongs to me. I do, however, own the characters Charlie, Rob, and Mason Everson. Also the lyrics belong to David Archuleta's "Touch My Hand."

~***Chapter Six: Can't Fight this Feeling***~

Matt's taunting smirk widens.

Swallowing hard, I stumble back before sinking to the ground and gripping my hair; unwelcome and unbidden images haunt my memory. Vision blurring and adrenaline pumping through my veins, I claw at my throat, desperate for air, desperate to pry away the lingering impression of his fingers gripping, choking, pinning me beneath him. My ears throb with the low timbre of his laughter, the press of his body against mine; sweat prickles my forehead. Waves of dizziness crash over me. Distant and muddled voices call my name; none of them belong to the one I want though.

_Tyler__. Where's Tyler?_

A pair of strong arms pulls me into familiar warmth.

Instant calm settles over me.

"Jeremy," he whispers. "Shh, shh, Jeremy, calm down, it'll be okay." He lifts me onto his lap, his grip tight. I nuzzle closer and clutch his shirt, frantic for the safety and protection only he can give.

"Jeremy?" Another voice breaks into my thoughts. Damon kneels beside me and lays a hand on my shoulder. "Are you all right?"

"Does he look all right?" Tyler's tone is sharp with restrained anger.

Damon's eyes flare. "He's my younger brother—"

"Then where the fuck were you when he needed you the most?"

"What are you talking about?"

"It's just another one of Jeremy's constant headaches, isn't it?" Matt cuts off Tyler's reply.

I stiffen.

Biting my lip, I shy away at the warning burning in his eyes and remember his promise: _The next time you involve someone by asking for help, I'll force you to watch as I rip his or her heart out._

If he realizes Tyler knows…I can't, won't let that happen!

"Y-yeah," I say my voice hoarse. "It's just a headache." Slowly I ease off Tyler's lap, aware of his unrelenting, suspicious gaze and climb to my feet, pressing my palm against the wall and steadying myself. Once the dizziness fades, I hurry down the hall and into my room, calling over my shoulder, "I'm going to go lie down," before slamming my door shut.

Collapsing lengthwise across my bed, I fist my sheets and gnaw at my lip, wincing at the sharp pain lancing through my veins; a lump rises in my throat as uncontrollable shivers attack my body, my eyes stinging with unshed tears. _Why now? I had just started to heal and now _he's_ back. Why can't he just leave me alone?_

I'm not sure how time passes before I hear the gentle tapping on my door. When I don't answer, the knob squeaks as it twists, the door opening, closing, and footsteps approaching my bedside. The mattress dips and then a warm body slides in beside me, arms surrounding my waist and fingers rubbing soothing circles on my stomach.

"You wanna tell me what just happened out there?" Tyler asks, his chin resting on my shoulder.

I roll over to face him. "What do you mean? I had a headache." Tracing my fingertip over my comforter, I keep my gaze down. Tyler and I both know I don't have the balls to lie to his face.

"We both know that's not true; it's because of Matt. You had a golden opportunity to tell Damon and bust Matt's ass, which he knew, and he stopped you."

I refuse to look at him; there was so much more behind my actions. "Tyler, we've been over this, he's my brother. I'm not going to report him."

He sighs and pulls me closer. "Jeremy, no matter what you believe he's never going to stop. He's a monster."

"I don't care what he does to me as long as he stays away from you and Elena."

"_Don't_," Tyler says his voice a growl as he grips my shoulders. "I don't _ever_ want to hear you talk like that again. No one, least of all you, deserves to be treated that way."

Wincing, I shirk away and rub my tender skin. "Why do you care so much?"

For a moment he lays there, his gaze alternating between me and the ceiling, his expression unreadable.

"Jeremy…" his voice sounds choked as he reaches down and intertwines our fingers together. There's something alive in his eyes now, an intensity I've never seen or recognized. I swallow and wait; the staccato rhythm of my heart increases. "Jeremy, I-I love you." Too stunned to reply, I blink at him. "Now would be a good time to say something." His eyes cloud with hurt at my prolonged silence.

I slide off my bed and relocate to stand by my window, tracing invisible designs on the glass, watching puffs of my breath straining the surface before fading. "No one has ever said that to me before."

Although my parents and Damon said they loved me on several occasions, they meant it in ways that parents love their son and older brothers care for their younger siblings. Yet, no one ever said that three word phrase with the same emotional intensity that Tyler just did. Even when I pushed him away, he still persisted and managed to wiggle his way into my heart. But my feelings towards Tyler, are they gratitude, fondness, or friendship? Dare I call them love?

"I'm sorry, Jeremy, I didn't mean to scare you," Tyler says from behind me, but he doesn't touch me. Unexpectedly I find myself wishing he would. "You weren't ready to hear that, especially with _him_ back. What was I thinking?" He's rambling—something he does when he's nervous. "I really am sorry, Jeremy."

"No!" I spin and seize his wrist before he can leave. Shock flashes across his face. "Don't…please don't leave me alone." I press myself against his chest and nuzzle his neck, praying he would take me in his arms. Hesitantly he grants my desire and his arms wrap around my waist in a loose hug. "I _do_ like you, Tyler," my voice drops to a whisper, "but I don't know if it's in the same way that you feel for me."

He nods and buries his face in my shoulder. "Do you believe me?"

"I want to, but I just don't see what's so special about me. Maybe you've mistaken your feelings for someone else."

Leaning back, he cups my face and his eyes flicker down to my mouth. I bite my lip uncertain. Is he really going to kiss me? My heart pounding, I clench and unclench my sweat-damp palms. His head dips and move closer; my attention focuses on his lips. Just as my eyes slip shut, his forehead connects with mine. I jump at the unexpected action and stare at him breathless.

"Then I'll just have to prove it to you and I know the perfect way."

It's almost been a week since Tyler's confession and yet he hasn't done anything to "prove it" to me. Not that I really want it, but he feels I need this reassurance…and maybe I do. What I really need reassurance with, however, is _my_ feelings for _him_.

Elena sits beside me while we watch TV, but I can't concentrate as my mind's preoccupied with the man currently holed up in my guest room; with Matt's unannounced return, Tyler's taken to crashing at my apartment and while he works, Elena, on her days off, keeps me company; though some days it seemed more like babysitting. Several times I've tried to lure Tyler out with food, but he refuses. Crossing my arms, I huff and slump against the couch, casting a longing look towards his room.

What's he doing in there?

"Jeremy," Elena says her voice soothing as she pats my shoulder, "he said he was going to prove his love for you. Let him have the time to do that."

"But it's been a week, Elena," I say, my voice a high pitched whine. "I haven't seen him in a _week_. How could proving your love for someone take an entire week?"

She smiles and massages my knuckles. "Relax, sweetie. He told me he's almost done. You'll soon be back with your man."

"Elena…"

"Jere, everybody can see it. With how you two interact it was only a matter of time before you fell for each other."

I shake my head. "He's…" Elena raises her eyebrows, her gaze challenging. At her look, my argument of being "just friends" catches in my throat. Honestly, who am I fooling? My bond with Tyler runs so much deeper than mere friendship. "You're right."

She grins triumphant. "Of course I am!"

My teasing snort of disagreement trails off as the guest door opens and Tyler appears. I gape at him; patches of stubble decorate his upper lip, chin and cheeks. His clothes are rumbled and hint at the notion of him sleeping in them. The faint circles under his eyes, however, suggest otherwise.

"Miss me…" Before he finishes talking, I lunge forward and almost knock us back onto the floor. "I'll take that as a yes," he says with a chuckle and hugs me back.

"Are you done?" I say, my words muffled as I press my face into his shirt, warmth staining my cheeks. Hopefully he doesn't think I'm being too clingy, but I haven't seen him in a week! Doesn't he realize the effect of Tyler withdrawals?

"Yep, all finished. So…are you doing anything tonight?"

I roll my eyes. "When am I ever doing anything in the evening?"

He laughs and holds me tighter. "That's true. All right so be ready tonight at seven and dress warm as where we're going it's gonna be cold."

Tyler leaves a short time later with the intention of returning to his apartment to shower, and change. Once he's gone, Elena grins at me and yanks me down the hall to my room, her eyes flashing in a teasing manner. Passing a clock, I groan at the time: 5:30 pm. As she shoves me into the bathroom with strict orders to shower and brush my hair and teeth while she selects my outfit, I wonder if she realizes that I'm a guy; we don't take as long as girls do to get ready.

Worries aside, Elena has really good fashion taste.

When I exit the shower, I find a pair of brown khakis, a white, button-up, sleeved shirt, a silverstripe tie, and V-neck, royal, blue sweater all laid out for me. Shaking my head, I tug on my clothes and style my hair before wandering out into the living room. Elena apparently raided my pantry as she sits and munches on some chips while flipping through channels before settling on a rerun of _Bones_. When she catches sight of me, she mutes the show and whistles before twirling her finger. I can't help chuckling and spinning around in slow motion.

"Damn, Jeremy, if you weren't gay, I'd go for you."

"Uh…thanks." Though Elena's gorgeous, I don't swing that way. Besides, the thought of her as a romantic interest is as appealing as dating myself. "So was there a reason why you wanted me ready so early?"

A pair of arms loops around my waist. "Because she knew I wouldn't be able to wait until seven," Tyler whispers from behind me. I lean back and nestle into the crook of his neck, breathing in content. "Did you really miss me that much?"

"I don't like being away from you."

Reaching down, he interlocks our fingers together before lifting our joint hands to his lips. I shudder at his evident affection—more than usual. _Is this how people in love usually act_?

"Well then, shall we go?" he asks.

My hand still clasped in his, he leads me out the door and down to his car. Elena's giggles and her playful "don't do anything I wouldn't do" advice echoes behind us. I throw her a meaningful look over my shoulder. Childishly, she sticks out her tongue and then disappears back into my apartment.

After climbing inside Tyler's '57 T-bird and buckling up, he revs the engine before reversing and pulling out of the parking lot. Despite my begging, Tyler refuses to disclose where we're heading. _Just like my surprise party_.

Leaning back against my headrest, I glance over Tyler's clean-shaven face and lick my lips; although he always looks good, tonight he exchanged his preferred jeans and T-shirt for black slacks and a dark, long-sleeve shirt, overlaid with a gray vest. His trademark leather jacket hangs over the backseat. Struggling to control myself, I refocus my gaze on the passing scenery of window-shopping pedestrians, local supermarkets, restaurants, and post office along with golden-red leaves littering the ground. Yet, judging from Tyler's reflected smirk, he caught me checking him out, but he doesn't comment and for that I'm grateful—gives me more time sort out my thoughts. Thirty minutes later, after sitting in the tail end of commute hour, his car lurches to a stop; before I can look around, he blindfolds me.

"W-what? Tyler, what are you doing?"

He grips my hand tight. "Relax, Jere. I'm _not_ going to do anything. I just want where we're going to be a surprise." After placing a light kiss on my cheek, he pulls away. His door opens and closes. Behind me, I hear gravel crunching as he circles around his car before opening my door and guiding me out. "You trust me, right?"

Without hesitating I nod and I can almost feel his grin as he steps backwards and instructs me where and where not to go with his voice. I stumble after him and grip his hand; it's really disconcerting to lose my sight, even for a few minutes. Moments later Tyler stops. I do too and gasp when he lifts me up before setting me down. I clutch his arm as the ground below me sways in a rocking manner.

"Tyler?" I ask a slight wavering in my voice.

He unties my blindfold and I blink, allowing my eyes to adjust before gasping. We're standing in the middle of a small, motor boat. Tugging me down onto one of the seats, Tyler hands me a lifejacket, slips on his own, and fastens it. I pull mine on too but my fingers fumble with the clasps. Chuckling, Tyler's hand covers mine and secures my lifejacket. After that, he signals to the captain, who starts up the motor and steers the boat out on the water. It's only then that I glimpse a pear-white, two-level cruise ship. Strings of white lights line the ship's rails and sails. As we approach, I catch the faintest sound of music playing over the speakers.

"Y-you did this f-for me?"

He nods and grins, cupping my face and swiping his thumb over my cheek. "It's ours for the night. Elena's Uncle John owns the ship and he was more than willing to let us borrow it."

Though her family comes from a wealthy and financial stable background, I often forget that Elena doesn't depend on her parents' money and prefers to work, saving and providing for herself. After befriending me, when she discovered I'd be alone for Christmas, she frowned and said, "No one should ever be alone for Christmas." So, uninvited and unexpected, she showed up on my doorstep Christmas morning and dragged me over to her house where I joined in her family's celebration. Although for the first half of the evening my awkward, out of place feeling kept me quiet, once I met her Uncle John, we clicked over our mutual love for the New York Yankees and classical literature. I smile at the memory and make a mental note to thank him the next time we see each other.

The boat stops along the cruise ship and as I climb up rope ladder, I overhear Tyler and the captain speaking in low tones and the captain agreeing to pick us up tomorrow morning. I swallow and grip the rope. While I trust Tyler, the idea of spending the night with him—alone—is a bit daunting.

Reaching the first level railing, I grip the edge and hoist myself up, swinging my legs over and jumping down onto the deck. Tyler joins me seconds later before guiding me up the stairs to the second level where a table set for two waits. Nearby rests a black Les Paul guitar. I glance at Tyler confused. I didn't know he played or even sang. Urging me to sit down, he picks up his guitar and drapes the strap over his head. After strumming a few cords, he sings,

_Saw you from a distance  
>Saw you from the stage<br>Something about the look in your eyes  
><em>_something about your beautiful face_

_In a sea of people  
>There is only you<br>I never knew what th__is song was about  
>But suddenly now I do<em>

_Trying to reach out to you, touch my hand  
>Reach out as far as you can<br>Only me, only you, and the band  
>Trying to reach out to you, touch my hand<em>

_Can't let the music stop  
>Can't let this feeling end<br>Cause if I do it'll all be over, I'll never see you again  
>Can't let the music stop<br>Until I touch your hand  
>Cause if I do it'll all be over, I'll never get the chance again<br>I'll never get the chance again  
>I'll never get the chance again<em>

_I see the sparkle of a million flashlights  
>A wonderwall of stars<br>But the one that's shining out so bright is the one right where you are_

_Trying to reach out to you, touch my hand  
>Reach out as far as you can<br>Only me, only you, and the band  
>Trying to reach out to you, touch my hand<em>

_Can't let the music stop  
>Can't let this feeling end<br>Cause if I do it'll all be over, I'll never see you again  
>Can't let the music stop<br>Until I touch your hand  
>Cause if I do it'll all be over, I'll never get the chance again<br>I'll never get the chance again_

_Saw you from a distance  
>Saw you from the stage<br>Something about the look in your eyes  
>Something about your beautiful face<em>

_Can't let the music stop  
>Can't let this feeling end<br>Cause if I do it'll all be over, I'll never see you again  
>Can't let the music stop<br>Until I touch your hand  
>Cause if I do it'll all be over, I'll never get the chance again<br>I'll never get the chance again_

_Trying to reach out to you, touch my hand  
>Reach out as far as you can<br>Only me, only you, and the band  
>Trying to reach out to you, touch my hand<br>Yeah, yeah, yeah_

I gape at him as his voice fades and he stops playing. Tears cascade down my cheeks.

He really _does_ love me.

"Jeremy," he removes his guitar before kneeling and wiping away my tears, "don't cry."

"I can't help it," I say, my tone choked. "You really do mean it."

"Yes, I'm in love with you—"

Cutting him off, I tackle him onto the ground, straddling his hips, and locking our lips together. Tyler lies there stunned and wide-eyed. When he doesn't respond, I pull away and almost laugh at his dazed expression. The corners of his mouth twitch as he reaches up, hooks a hand behind my neck, and crashes our lips together again. My startled squeal morphs into a pleasured purr as he tilts and angles his head to the side, slipping his tongue into my already parted mouth. Moans erupt from my throat as I tangle my fingers in his hair and tug. With a groan, Tyler grips my shoulders and flips us so I'm lying underneath him on my back.

Briefly he draws back, touches my flushed cheek and caresses it. I turn my face and press a kiss against his inner wrist. His eyes darken and he leans forward again, his lips trailing across my jaw and down to my neck. I bend back and give him more access, whimpering as his teeth graze my skin.

"Oh fuck, Tyler, please don't stop," I say, my voice breathless as his hands tickle my sides, rubbing up and down before settling on and squeezing my thighs.

I moan again and buck my hips against his. Tyler's eyes roll back and squeeze shut as he shifts and covers me with his body, grinding down into me. I inhale a sharp breath, my nails digging into his skin as my erection presses against his equally aroused member.

Breathing hard, I break away and rest my forehead against his, my eyes closed as puffs of his warm breath hit my face. Sometime later, I cup his cheek. When he opens his eyes, I arch up and peck his lips before whispering,

"I'm in love with you too, Tyler Lockwood."

**Author's Note**: At there you have Jeremy's admittance of his feelings…took him long enough, but given his past, I'd say he's allowed to take his time—at least he's already seen evidence that Tyler will be there to protect him and wants _him_ for him instead of a warm body. :D Please leave me a review and lemme know your thoughts on this chapter. I'm hoping to work on and finish To Make You Feel Our Love tomorrow. Then I'm off to finish revising my new Daremy story! *squeal* I'm really looking forward to that one and hope you guys enjoy it too. :D :D


	7. Chapter 7

**Warnings**: Slash, Nonrelated, Swearing.

**Disclaimer**: Nothing you recognize belongs to me but I do own the characters Ben and Travis. Nick Jonas, from the band The Jonas Brothers, wrote and owns the song "When You Look Me in the Eyes."

~***Chapter Seven: Nowhere to Escape***~

Groggily, I open my eyes and glance around, disoriented. Pressing my fingers to my forehead, I squeeze my eyes shut and wish the room would stop swaying. Outside, the slush of water lapping against a hard surface echoes in the air. Birds chirp and rays of sunlight pour through the ship's port window.

Wait, what _ship_?

I sit up and rub my eyes, before looking around again. This is definitely not my bedroom. Where am I? Hearing a light snore, I glance down and smile. Tyler lies next to me, his chest rising and falling with even breaths. That's when images of last night flicker and flash through my memory.

He loves me!

Lightly, I run my fingers through his short-cropped hair and replay last night's kiss—the emotions and passion—over in my mind. I still can't believe it. No one has ever said those three words to me and meant them with the same intensity that Tyler did. I shift closer and settle my head on his chest, listening to the rhythm of his heart.

I'm not sure how much time passes before he shifts and stretches. Rising, I watch his eyelids flutter and fight to stay shut before opening. However, when he sees me his face lights up.

"Morning, baby," Tyler says, leaning up and capturing my lips with his own.

My eyes slip closed and I tangle my hand in his hair and pull him closer. "Morning," I say once we separate. "Did last night really happen?"

He nods and bites his lower lip. "Do you regret it?"

_Do I regret it? Did we do something that I should regret?_ My face pales. I yank off the covers. Both our chests are bare, yet, we're still in our boxers. So we didn't...hearing laughter I look up; he's smiling at me though his eyes hold a touch of concern.

"I meant do you regret us kissing and sleeping in the same bed." He presses his lips against my forehead. "I would never force you to do something like that. I'm not _him_."

"I know that, it's just..." Hesitantly I trail off, my cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"I know, baby; it's the memories."

He lies back down, drawing me with him and fitting me against his side. Resting my head on his shoulder, I trace my fingers over his chest and grin whenever his muscles tense and tighten. Unexpectedly, he catches my hand, brings it to his mouth, and kisses each finger. My eyes close and I nuzzle his neck.

"Jeremy? Are you happy?"

I nod and reach up to cup his cheek. He leans into my caress, his head tilted to the side as he presses a light kiss against the inside of my wrist. "Very. I never believed I could meet and fall in love with someone like you."

He grins and drops a light kiss on my head. Sighing, I grip his hand and my thumb massages his knuckles.

"Jeremy?" Startled, my eyes snap open. I must have dosed off, though I don't remember falling asleep again. "I didn't mean to startled you," he says, his gaze apologetic.

"Don't worry about it. What's up?"

He moves away from me for a moment and bends over the side of the bed, groping along the ground for something. With a grunt, he leans back and lifts his guitar onto his lap, the sheets pooling around his waist and thighs.

"I want to play something for you. It's the only way I can think of to describe my feelings for you."

He already told me he loved me; he doesn't need to do anything else. "Tyler, you don't—"

He presses his finger against my lips. "Shh. Just listen."

Nodding, I wait as he strums a few cords, the melody a familiar, soothing love ballad. His gaze locks with mine as he begins,

If the heart is always searching,

Can you ever find a home?  
>I've been looking for that someone,<br>I'll never make it on my own.  
>Dreams can't take the place of loving you,<br>There's gotta be a million reasons why it's true

When you look me in the eyes,  
>And tell me that you love me.<br>Everything's alright,  
>When you're right here by my side.<br>When you look me in the eyes,  
>I catch a glimpse of heaven.<br>I find my paradise,  
>When you look me in the eyes.<p>

How long will I be waiting,  
>To be with you again<br>Gonna tell you that I love you,  
>In the best way that I can.<br>I can't take a day without you here,  
>You're the light that makes my darkness disappear.<p>

When you look me in the eyes,  
>And tell me that you love me.<br>Everything's alright,  
>When you're right here by my side.<br>When you look me in the eyes,  
>I catch a glimpse of heaven.<br>I find my paradise,  
>When you look me in the eyes.<p>

I stare at him as he sings my favorite song, "When You Look Me in the Eyes." As tears slip down my cheek, I flash back to the night when I first heard it. I was fourteen and things between me and _h__im_ had escalated. _He_ had just raped me for the first time and I was lying on my bed, crying and begging for someone to come rescue me, begging for someone to look at me and know I needed help, begging for someone to love me. When this song aired on the radio, I wished for someone to feel this about me, to want me despite my damaged past. Overwhelmed, I join in with Tyler and although my vocals are scratchy and inexperienced, I'm able to carry a tune and our voices blend in harmony.

More and more, I start to realize,

I can reach my tomorrow,  
>I can hold my head high,<br>And it's all because you're by my side.

When you look me in the eyes,  
>And tell me that you love me.<br>Everything's alright,  
>When you're right here by my side.<br>When I hold you in my arms  
>I know that it's forever<br>I just gotta let you know  
>I never wanna let you go<p>

Cause when you look me in the eyes.

And tell me that you love me.  
>Everything's alright,<br>When you're right here by my side.  
>When you look me in the eyes,<br>I catch a glimpse of heaven.  
>I find my paradise,<br>When you look me in the eyes.  
>Oh<p>

I bite my lip as a rush of nostalgia sweeps over me. Noticing my sad and quiet demeanour, Tyler hugs me.

"Baby, what's wrong?"

I sigh. "I just never thought I'd find someone like you. I hoped for it but I'd just about given up." He tugs me closer. After a moment, I shift so I'm straddling his legs and wrap my arms around his neck. "I'm grateful that you found me though. There's nowhere in the world I'd rather be than right here with you."

"I'm glad we found each other too, baby."

I kiss him, my tongue sliding across his lower lip and requesting entrance. Granting it, Tyler's grip around my waist tightens as he urges me closer, his fingers brushing against my lower back. I moan as he angles his head and intensifies our kiss. Abruptly, I feel something soft against my back and a sudden weight on my stomach. I open my eyes and find him lying on top of me. Instead of the position reminding me of _him_ and freaking out, I tug Tyler closer. He pulls away a few moments later, his breathing heavy.

"This is where I want to be, Tyler," I say, placing my hand on his chest right above his heart. "Don't ever doubt that."

His eyes glowing with warmth, he scoots forward and rubs our noises together. "I love you."

"And I love you." I frown when he glances over my shoulder and groans. Then when I look behind me, see the clock, and notice the time: 11:30 am, I understand. "Do we have to go?"

He nods as he climbs off of me. Instantly I miss his warmth. "I told Elena's grandfather we'd be off the ship no later than noon." He holds out his hand. "Come on, time to get dressed."

Fifteen minutes later, Tyler and I, dressed and our hair windblown and still damp from our shower, stand on the ship's deck and wait for someone to pick us up. I place my hands on the railing and stare out at the sea, squinting against the glare of sunlight reflecting off the surface. Tyler moves behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. Content, I snuggle closer. Who would've guessed that our relationship would've progressed to this level when the first time I met him, I accused him of stalking me?

In the distance, I glimpse something skipping along the water towards us. As it gets nearer, I see it's our ride. The driver pulls up beside Elena's grandfather's ship. Climbing down the rope ladder, I hop into the boat and throw my arms out to catch my balance. Tyler joins me moments later. I wait for him to sit before settling down on his lap. He grunts in surprise and then his arms circle my waist. I shut my eyes and relax against his chest, my head tucked in the crook of his neck. After revving the engine and turning the boat towards the mainland, our guide glances back at us, his expression blank before giving way to a small smile. Even if he didn't approve, I wouldn't have moved.

I'm too comfortable.

Once we return to the mainland, Tyler and I walk back to his car and drive back to my—well really _our_ apartment. Seriously I should just ask him to move in with me. We practically live there together already. All that's missing is him paying rent. However, would us becoming roommates be moving things too fast? Sighing, I press my forehead against the window. Although we kissed and shared a shower this morning, I don't want to do anything to jeopardize our new relationship. Would living together be a bad step? I'd considered it even before we became boyfriends. So what harm would there be now?

"Babe, are you all right?" Tyler's concerned voice breaks into my thoughts as he grabs my hand, lifts it onto his lap, and caresses my palm.

"I'm fine," I say and force a smile.

Tyler shoots me a sharp look. "Don't lie to me, Jeremy." Sighing again, I pull my hand away and fiddle with the hem of my shirt. His eyes widen. "A-are you, you're not having second thoughts, are you?"

My head snaps up. "Of course not!" Immediate relief floods his face. I stare at him. How could he even think that? Because you've been ignoring him since you got in the car, a nagging voice whispers in the back of my mind. "I just have a lot of my mind." Inwardly I flinch at my choice of words. Good job, Jeremy! You're supposed to reassure him not scare him!

"Anything you want to talk about?" Signalling, he merges over two lanes before he makes a quick right and then a left into my—our apartment parking lot.

"It's…complicated."

"Baby, it's just me," he says as he pulls into an uncovered parking space, switches off the engine, and faces me. I refuse to meet his gaze. "Jere, are we moving too fast?"

"That's what I want to know." Once I start, everything spills out. "I've been thinking about asking you to move in with me for a while now, because you spend most of your time here anyway; of course I was thinking of inviting Elena too, since she's always here too, but now that you and I are together I don't know if...would that be weird? I don't want to do anything to jeopardize our relationship—"

His hand covers my mouth. "You're rambling," he says, his eyes twinkling with laughter. "You always do that when you're nervous." I sigh. No denying that. Damon nicknamed me "motor mouth" whenever I rambled. "Jere, if we're moving too fast, we can slow down. Actually, maybe we should; with _him_ in town, I don't want to do anything to overwhelm you."

"You're still my boyfriend right?"

"Of course. You aren't getting rid of me that easily." He tucks a loose hair behind my ear and chuckles when it bounces back. "We'll talk about moving in together later, once things have settled. There's no need to rush any thing."

I smile, lean over the emergency brake, and gather him into a tight hug. Seriously, what did I ever do to deserve someone as caring, sweet, loving, and protective as him?

We've only been in my apartment for less than five minutes before someone knocks—more like pounds—on my door. I'm in the kitchen fixing our drinks and Tyler's sitting in the living room and flipping through my DVD collection. I hear him groan as he heads towards the door and opens it.

"Where's my brother?" Damon's voice fills the air. I grip the edge of the counters and close my eyes. Ever since that incident where he, Klaus and _him_ showed up unannounced on my doorstep and Elena kicked them out, Damon keep visiting and insisting on seeing me; each time Tyler plays guard dog. For that I'm grateful because I'm just not ready to face them. Especially _him_. "You can't keep me from seeing him."

"Oh yeah?" Tyler's voice challenges. "Watch me."

There's a slight shuffle before I hear the door slam open again.

"He's my younger brother! You have no right to do this."

"Oh well, excuse me. Guess that justifies you guys treating him like shit lately."

"_Excuse me_? He's the one who ran away five year ago."

"Did it ever occur to you to even try to find out _why_ he left?" Tyler asks his voice threatening.

My throat tightens. He wouldn't…he wouldn't. I shake my head and grip my glass tighter as I listen to their heated argument, my feet carrying me towards the living room with slow, hesitant steps.

"What's that got to do with anything? Matt says things just got too stressful for him and he ran away from his problems like a wimp."

An enraged snarl spills from Tyler's mouth as he shoves Damon against the wall. "_Matt!_ You're actually gonna believe what that bastard tells you?"

"How dare you—"

"No, how dare you! He raped Jeremy for two years and you're just gonna stand there and defend him—"

My glass slips and shatters.

"_Tyler,_" I say, my voice strained with anger and betrayal.

He jumps and spins around to face me, his eyes widening. "Oh shit, Jere, I'm sorry."

He steps towards me. I hold my hand up and shake my head. "Don't."

Damon pushes away from the wall, his burning eyes locked on me. "Jeremy, how can you blame Matt for your problems?"

I stare at my middle brother as his words catch me off guard. "Do you think I'm making this up?"

"Matt has done _everything_ for you and I know you two got into some sort of fight before you ran off, but that's no excuse to-to _lie_ about him."

My lips tremble. He doesn't believe me. I _knew_ he wouldn't. Matt could always portray the "picture perfect son." He could do no wrong, hell, that's mainly why he wasn't convicted for Ben and Travis's murders. People kept saying things like "he'd never do anything like that" and "he's not like that." Boy, did he have everyone fooled.

"I think you need to leave," I say, walking to my door and holding it open for Damon.

"Jeremy—"

"Get the _fuck_ out of my house!"

He jumps and leaves. Slamming the door shut, I slump against it before I collapse to the ground.

"Jere?"

I squeeze my eyes shut. "How could you do that to me? Now he knows everything." I bite my lip and shy away when Tyler tries to wrap his arms around me. "Why'd you tell him?"

"I didn't mean to but what he said...I couldn't stop myself," he says softly. "Jeremy, you can't keep hiding this. Matt needs to pay for his crimes."

I shake my head. "Damon doesn't believe me. Nobody else will either."

"Jeremy—"

"Don't." I push him away. "Leave me alone."

"No," he says, finally managing to pull me into his arms, his grip tight, despite my fruitless efforts to escape. "I'm not leaving you alone, not ever."

Breaking free, I throw open my door. "Get out!"

"Jere—"

"Now!" My heart contracts painfully at the hurt bleeding in his eyes, but I can't handle being around him right now. Not after what he did.

A thin layer of tears covers his eyes as he passes me. Outside, he turns towards me, about to say something. I close the door and lock it. Dropping to my knees, I bury my face, my tears seeping through my fingers. Why was this happening to me? Damon was my older brother, so by default he should have believed me. No matter what, families stick together, right? I snort and roll my eyes. I must be living in a fairy tale world if I really _believe_ that! This is reality—cold, hard reality.

I'm on my own.

Behind me, I hear the gentle tapping of Tyler's fingers and his soft pleas to let him back inside and hear him out. I want to so bad. I've never felt safer than when he holds me in his arms. Yet, my mind keeps replaying him spilling my secret to Damon. How could he betray me like that? If he did it once, he could do it again. Did I really want to subject myself to that again?

What if it got back to Matt?

Swallowing hard, I stumble over to my couch, grab my blanket, and curl up, trying to block out Tyler's voice.

I knew it was too good to be true—meeting someone like him.

Hours later, I'm still sitting in the same position. I'm not sure how long ago Tyler's knocking ceased and his footsteps retreated from my door, but a lonely and deafening silence hangs over me. In a desperate need to fill the void, I seize the remote and flip through the channels until I find something engaging. Because I just need, want background noise, I don't pay enough attention to know which show I've chosen. Dry tears tracks stain my cheeks and my face feels puffy and itchy from all my crying. I tug my blanket closer.

Abruptly, the knocking resumes again.

"Go away, Tyler!" I say with a sigh as I increase the TV's volume. The knocks persist. Huffing, I throw off my blankets, stomp over to my door, and yank it open. "Tyler, I told you to leave…"

Tyler's not the one outside my door.

Matt's eyes flash with maliciousness as he forces his way into my apartment and locks the door behind him. Hurriedly, I glance around, but there's nowhere to hide.

I'm trapped.

**Author's Note**: Hey, everyone. I realize it's been a while since I updated this story and that some of you probably thought I'd abandoned it. However, that couldn't be farther from the truth. I've just been real busy. During the last few weeks, I've applied and interviewed at several different job openings, my current job as a tutor has increased in its hours (which means more students!), and I've also returned to school for tutor training. So my life's been a little hectic but I will do my best to return to updating my stories.

Next on my list will be to finish "To Make You Feel Our Love" and then I'll be updating "Open Your Heart to Us" and last but not least "How Far Would You Go?"

In the meantime though, how'd you guys like the latest chapter? Hopefully it made up for being well overdue. Please leave me a comment and lemme know what you all thought. I'll try not to take as long with the next and last chapter of "To Make You Feel Our Love."


	8. Chapter 8

**Warnings**: Slash, Nonrelated, Incest, Language, Rape, Self Harm, Attempted Suicide, Implied Violence.

**Disclaimer**: Nothing you recognize belongs to me but I do own the characters of Ben and Travis.

~***Chapter Eight: Point of No Return***~

Blood drains from my face as I stumble backwards, my eyes flickering back and forth. Catching sight of a letter opener on the coffee table, I snatch and hold it up, beads of sweat dripping from my forehead, my heart galloping. _He_ smirks.

"Are you really going to kill me, Jeremy?" _He_ says, his tone taunting as _he_ shifts closer.

I grip the paper knife tighter. "Don't tempt me!"

Laughing, _he_ lunges, _his _body slamming into mine and knocking me to the floor. I cry out for help as we wrestle over the letter opener. However, being stronger, _he_ pries it out of my hand and tosses it away. Thrashing, I push against _his_ shoulders, kick my legs, anything to dislodge _him_, but _he_ continues to laugh as _he_ straddles my hips and pins my arms above my head, _his_ weight pressing down and trapping me.

"Why so scared, Jeremy?" _He_ bends down and licks my ear.

I flinch. "Haven't you done enough to me already?"

Tightening _his_ grip, _his_ nails dig into my skin. "Don't you take that tone with me, boy!"

"You can't tell me what to do!" I struggle against _him_. _Tyler, please help me!_ "You're not Dad!" A loud crack echoes through the room and my head snaps to side, the sickening sound of _his _skin smacking mine registers in my mind before the stinging pain in my cheek.

"I'm still your eldest brother..."

"That doesn't mean shit! After what you did to me…" I shake my head and my vision blurs. "Matt…_why_? Why did you hurt me like that? What did I ever do to you?"

An emotion I've never seen flashes through his eyes and for a moment I glimpse the Matt who'd been my older brother and best friend before _his _gaze hardens and that monster returns.

"I had a little visit from Damon earlier. Imagine my surprise when he told me what your friend, Tyler, said." My eyes widen as _his_ hand slips down to my jeans where _he_ unbuttons and unzips them. "Did you really think by telling Damon that you could escape me?" Desperately I shake my head as whimpers spill from my mouth. Yanking off my pants and underwear, _he_ seizes and squeezes my crotch. "I told you what would happen if you ever told anyone."

Terror shoots through my heart. _Tyler! Elena! _"Matt, no…_please_ leave them out of this."

My pleas fall on deaf ears as _he _undoes _his _own pants before hovering above my entrance. _Oh, God, please not again_. I squeeze my eyes shut.

"Matt, _please_…don't…"

Screams erupt from my mouth as he shoves forward; my body protests against the unfamiliar, yet familiar intrusion. Arching upwards, I cry out as _he_ pushes forward before _he_ breaks through. Unimaginable pain rips through me as _he_ pounds into me. _His_ heavy breathing and grunts echo in my ears as _his_ thrusts increase. I gasp, tears freely falling down my cheeks. _Tyler, Tyler, where are you? Please come back!_

"Oh God, Jeremy, you feel so good. I'd forgotten how tight you are." _His_ eyes roll back into _his_ head as _he _looks up at the ceiling, moans and groans filling the air.

Abruptly arching upwards, _he_ gasps and I feel _his _muscles tightening before releasing _his_ load. I bite my lip; crying is useless and only angers _him_ more. Collapsing, _he_ pumps into me a few more times and milks _himself_ dry. Once finished, _he_ stays inside of me, kissing my neck and brushing away my tears. I lie there, unresponsive. When _he _does pull out, I wince as both semen and blood drip down my legs. Quietly _he _dresses before returning to my side and cupping my cheek.

"Tell Tyler and Elena to have their affairs in order." Chilled, I stare, but before I can respond, _his_ lips crash against mine and _his_ insistent tongue forces its way inside my mouth. I whimper in disgust, unable to escape. "See you around, Jeremy," _he_ says, pulling away and leaving.

Breathing heavily, I lie there and stare at the door, half expecting _him_ to return and half hoping Tyler would come bursting in. Thirty minutes pass and I'm still lying on the ground, bruised and broken. With a groan, I manage to stand up, swallowing my screams at the pain shooting through my ass. _He'd_ never been gentle and that apparently hasn't changed in five years. Half stumbling, half crawling along the floor, I make my way towards my bathroom where I heave myself up and stare at my reflection.

I should never have come here.

Then you would've never met Tyler or Elena, a voice whispers in the back of my mind. I turn away from the mirror because they are the reason I shouldn't have come here. From the moment we met and became friends, their lives were endangered. Now because of me _he's_ going to kill them.

"You stupid, piece of shit!" I spin around and slam my fist into the glass.

It shatters.

Immediately I recoil as several shards puncture my skin. Fascinated, I stare at the rivulets of blood trickling down my arm and palm. I push a piece of glass deeper into my skin; blood bubbles out.

I don't want to die, but it wouldn't take much. Hell, I have enough glass around me. Briefly I think about all the people in my life:

Tyler.

Elena.

Damon.

My parents.

Matt.

Would they miss me?

Although I keep pushing Tyler away, have I pushed him away for good? Is that why he didn't come back? Has he decided that I'm not worth fighting for anymore? Damon's convinced I'm a liar and I haven't seen my parents in five years so my death wouldn't affect them. Matt…_he'd_ only be sorry _he_ no long had a sex toy around to torture. Elena…well she could live the rest of her life alive and in peace.

My fingers itch as I retrieve a rather large mirror shard. _Okay, Matt._ I swallow hard as I point the blade at my heart. _You win._

"Hey, Jere are you home?" Elena's voice calls from the living room.

Dizzy with relief, I collapse onto to my knees and ignore the cold sensation of blood soaking into my jeans and staining the floor.

"Jeremy?"

I can hear her walking around my apartment, her voice semi frantic. I try to call out her name, but my voice's too hoarse from screaming. Leaning against the wall, I cradle my injured fist against my chest; slowly her footsteps approach my bathroom door and push it open.

"Your front door was open and that's not like you at all and-holy fucking shit!"

She drops to her knees beside me, one hand cupping my face while her other one checks my pulse; hastily, she digs her cell phone out of her pocket and dials 9-1-1.

"Yes, hello, I need an ambulance." My eyes flicker closed and I listen to her giving the dispatcher my address, doubtful they'll arrive in time.

"Jere…hey Jeremy." She slaps my cheeks until I open my eyes again. "Don't you dare close your eyes on me; stay awake for me, honey. Talk to me; tell me what happened. Where's Tyler?"

A lump forms in my throat as I turn away, my hurtful words reverberating in my mind. No wonder he didn't come back for me. "He's gone."

"What?" Alarm fills her voice. "Why would he leave? I'm gonna kick his ass so hard when—"

I shake my head and whimper at the exploding pain inside my head at a simple gesture. "I kicked him out." My eyes burn from being forced to stay open. I'm so tired. All I wanna do is sleep.

"Wait, what? But last night…what happened?"

"Damon showed up…Tyler told him…everything."

"Oh, sweetie, don't worry." In the distance we both hear sirens approaching. "Hang on, Jere. Just a few more minutes," she says, smoothing back my hair. "Please stay awake for a few more minutes. Help's on its way."

My eyelids feel so heavy. "Can't…my head it…it hurts."

"Jere…Jeremy?" My head slumps to the side and my eyes flicker closed. "Jeremy!"

Her desperate pleas fade as I succumb to the awaiting darkness and allow it to woo me to sleep.

An insistent beeping noise breaks through my consciousness. Groaning, I roll over and reach over for my alarm, my hand passing through air. Cracking my eyes open, I find myself lying on a bed with rails and surrounded by four white walls. Somewhere nearby that annoying beeping sound continues and I glance around until spotting a heart monitor in the corner. A female, almost robotic sounding voice echoes overhead through a loudspeaker, paging different doctors and listing announcements. Off to the side, Elena sits curled up in a chair against the wall, asleep. Looking down at my left hand, I notice an IV protruding from the skin and feel something—a breathing tube?—attached to my face.

As my senses adjust, I become aware of the pressure on my right hand. Glancing down, I spot Tyler sitting in another chair, his head resting on my lap, my hand clasped tight in his. How long have I been here? Frowning, I struggle to remember, but my mind rebels and it only allows me quick glimpses, but they're not enough to reconstruct a memory.

_Elena__ crying, Elena on the phone talking to someone—Tyler?—lights blinding me, strange voices fading in and out._

What happened?

I look back at Tyler and smile lightly, reaching over and brushing my fingers through his hair.

He came back.

At my movement, he moans and stirs. I stop, positive he'll go back to sleep but then his eyes blink open; immediate relief floods his face when he notices me awake.

"Jere, you're awake!" He gathers me into a tight hug, being careful to mind my injured hand. "Thank God you're all right." He drops a light kiss against my neck. "When Elena called and said you were at the hospital, I thought the worse. Then when I got here no one would tell us anything. But you're okay," he says and draws back, his hands surrounding my face. "You're all right." Tears glisten from the corners of his eyes. "I shouldn't have left you alone. How could I've been so stupid?"

I shake my head and smooth my thumb across his cheeks. "I told you to leave."

He catches my hand and gives it a brief squeeze. "But, I should've tried harder to get you to talk to me. Jere, I didn't tell Damon on purpose; we were fighting and…"

"I know that, Tyler." I stare at my lap, aware of how in the heat of the moment you can't always control what you say. "I'm the one who should be sorry. But, you and Elena need to stay away from me. Matt came by after you left."

Tyler's face pales. "Did he…" When I refuse to look at him, he growls and curses. "What about your fist? Did he do that?"

"No, I did."

"Why?" My heart constricts at hearing his hurt tone. "Were you trying to kill yourself?"

I lift my head, lies on the tip of my tongue, but he still sees the truth in my eyes. His shoulders slump and he leans forward, gripping his hair. "Tyler, I'm so sorry. It was just a weak moment and Tyler, listen to me…"

"No, _you_ listen to _me_, Jeremy." He sits up, grasps my chin, and raises it so our gazes locked. Then he kisses me, hard. I stiffen at his unexpected move and overwhelmed by the emotions that he's conveying to me through his lips. When he pulls away, my eyes reopen and I sit there, panting and gaping at him. "Did you feel that?" he asks and I nod. "I love you, Jeremy and I'm never letting you go."

"But, Tyler…you don't understand…"

"Jere, you're scared and I get that, but..."

"No, I don't think you do!" I try to move away but because of my IV, I can't go far. "_He_ told me to tell you and Elena to have your affairs in order. Tyler, he's going to kill you both and make me watch! I can't lose you guys, not like I lost Ben and Travis."

"You aren't gonna lose us, Jere." I jump as Elena's voice joins the conversation. How long has she been up? Quietly she drags her chair over to my bedside and grips my free hand. "Tyler and me, we're not going anywhere."

"That's what Ben and Travis said too." I squeeze my eyes shut as unbidden images of them haunt my mind. "They promised they wouldn't leave me and…and the next day they were dead."

"Jere, baby calm down," Tyler says as he wraps his arms around my waist and rests his forehead against mine. "You know what you have to do to stop this."

Quickly, I shake my head. Would that even fix anything? "But…I can't…_please_ don't make me do that."

"Jere, you've got to." Elena scoots even closer and clutches my hand between both of hers. "What if he hurts someone else? You've got a chance to prevent this from happening to someone else."

A tear spills down my cheek. "I'm scared."

Tyler reaches out and caresses the side of my face. "I know, baby, but Elena and I will be there with you every step of the way. We're not going anywhere."

Several hours later, my doctor discharges me and despite my protests, Tyler and Elena drive me down to the Mystic Falls Police Station. After parking, I follow them up to the entrance but can't make myself to go farther. Instead I stand there, biting my lip and desperately thinking of a way to avoid doing this. After all, Damon didn't believe me. Why would the police?

Tyler comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. "Everything's gonna be all right," he says and kisses my cheek. He and Elena keep saying that but how can they be sure? I know my brother and I know what he's capable of doing. There's no way this can end happily. "Besides," Tyler continues, "after they perform a rape kit, they'll have their evidence to convict Matt and put him away for a long time."

I cover Tyler's hands with mine and relax into his embrace. Swallowing hard, I glance around, but only see pedestrians wandering the streets, returning from work, or window shopping.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Tyler whispers in my ear.

I nod and half expecting _him_ to attack me, I climb the steps, push open the swinging doors, and enter. Stopping for a moment, I watch the hordes of officers bustling about; some are at their desks and filing paperwork while others are dragging in convicted criminals. As I tighten my grip on Tyler's hand, he offers me a brief, reassuring smile and squeezes my hand. An elderly sergeant with thinning salt and pepper hair and an almost grandfatherly quality about his face, notices and approaches us.

"Can I help you?" he asks.

Swallowing hard, I exchange quick glances with Tyler and Elena, my heart racing as they nod and urge me to speak. I glance down at the floor, staring at my reflection and digging my shoe into the tile. _You can do this, Jeremy_, I tell myself. _Just tell him and Matt'll be out of your life forever._

I step forward. "My brother…" As my voice trails off, I clench my fists and struggle not to lose my nerve. I've come this far. I can't back down now. Besides, Tyler's right. I can't let _him_ control my life and I don't want to live the rest of my life in fear. _He_ needs to pay for what _he's_ done and I'm the only one who can stop him. Lifting my chin and inhaling another deep breath, I lick my lips. _Here goes nothing_.

"My brother, Matthew Gilbert, raped me and I want to file charges against him."

**Author's Note**: I know I said I would be updating/finishing To Make You Feel Our Love next but I felt so bad the way the last chapter ended that I decided to post this next one now. Hopefully this will ease your minds but there are seven more chapters still coming and that means that the drama is far from over so don't get too comfortable.

In the meantime, what'd you guys think of this latest chapter? Please drop me a review and lemme know.

Also I want to thank each and every one of my reviewers, whether you're anonymous or not. I really appreciate all your feedback and I'm thrilled that all of you are enjoying this story. I hope you continue to enjoy it for the next seven chapters as well. You guys are the best and I'm so grateful to have such amazing readers. :D :D :D


	9. Chapter 9

**Warnings**: Slash, Nonrelated, Language, Violence

**Disclaimer**: Nothing that you recognize belongs to me but I do, however, own the characters of Charlie, Ben, and Travis.

**Author****'****s**** Note**: Even though this is not a new chapter, I have made a significant change. Originally I had Elena get shot in the side of the head but since that outcome didn't fit with the vision I have for this story, I revised it. Hopefully you guys like this new version.

~***Chapter**** Nine:**** Spiraling***~

Stefan groans as he stumbles through the front door, almost dropping his box, but catches it and maintains his balance. Shifting his weight, he leans against the wall and inhales a deep breath.

"W-where do you want this one, Jere?" he asks.

After I reported my abusive brother to the cops, Tyler surprised me with his decision to move in with me. While I mentioned the idea in passing several months ago, I didn't expect it to become a reality so soon. However, I'm not complaining as Tyler's presence lessens the chance of _his_ return for another impromptu session.

Shaking aside my previous thoughts, I glance up from organizing Tyler's books on a nearby shelf. "Just put it on the table." I swipe my arm across my forehead and place the last few volumes in the bookcase before walking over and turning on the AC. Once the rumble of the thermos stat switches on, I settle down at the table and snap my eyes shut, blinded by sunlight glare pouring in through the window. Shifting to another seat, I open and begin sorting through the next box. "Hot, isn't it?"

Stefan snorts, stalking towards me, his package crashing onto the table with a resounding thump before he flexes his sore fingers. "Yes, because sorting though boxes is so much more stressful than lugging them up seven flights of stairs…multiple times!"

I roll my eyes and hold up my hands up in a defensive gesture "Hey, _my _house so that means I have to dictate where everything goes."

"But that doesn't prevent you from helping."

"I am or do you consider sorting through these boxes not a form of 'helping'?"

"Come on, you two, knock it off." Luca enters the room, balancing two boxes on top of each other and propping the door open for Bonnie with his foot. "Seriously, sometimes I think you two should be dating instead of Jere and Tyler."

I choke on my Diet Coke. "Are you serious, Luc?" I gasp for breath. Stefan pats my back and I shoot him a grateful look, coughing and massaging my sore throat.

Luca shrugs. "The thought's crossed my mind once or twice."

"Or more," says Bonnie, her eyes twinkling with amusement. Luca ducks his head and shrugs again.

I chuckle. "Stefan and I would end up killing each other within five minutes of getting together." Pressing his hand against his chest, Stefan's mouth drops open in mock hurt. I grin. "Besides, I don't think Elena would like that arrangement...neither would Tyler for that matter."

"I wouldn't like what?" Elena asks as she and Charlie bring in the last of Tyler's clothes and a few other belongings and deposit them with the rest of his stuff.

"Nothing!" Stefan's face rivals a tomato as he shoots me a pleading look. With a smirk, I resume my task. _Seriously__ Tyler __needs __to __learn __how __to __pack._

"Jere."

"Elena, really it's a guy thing," I say. Subtly is not Stefan's forte.

"Then why's Bonnie laughing?"

Luca grins. "Why don't you ask your boyfriend?" Stefan cringes and chucks a coaster at his head. Ducking, Luca doubles over and laughs harder.

Frowning, Elena glances around confused. "My…boyfriend? What boyfriend?" She raises her eyebrows. "When did I get one and how come I wasn't informed about this known fact?"

"Oh he meant this idiot." Charlie shoves Stefan forward; stubbornly Stefan's eyes remain fixed on the floor and avoid Elena's. "We wouldn't want to deprive you of your Stefan quality time."

At the implication, her eyes widen and a small, involuntary giggle escapes before she slaps a hand over her mouth. I wince and shoot him a quick glance; that's not gonna bode well for his ego or encourage him towards asking her out, despite all of our reassurance that she would say yes.

His face and ears flushing red, Stefan snatches his car keys and a random box. "Hey, Jere, this goes in your bedroom, right?"

"Stefan, those go in the guestroom not my room!"

Ignoring me, he disappears down the hall, reappears a moment later, and calls a goodbye over his shoulder before leaving to run an errand. I shake my head and glance towards Elena. Her eyes are fixed on the front door, an unfamiliar expression of regret lingering. She really _does_like him and his feelings aren't one-sided. Before I can say anything though, she disappears into the kitchen and says she's making lunch. Several minutes pass and yet I don't hear anything. I'm halfway out of my seat to go comfort my friend when Charlie's snickers stop me.

"Jere, drop the charade. We all know where Tyler's really sleeping."

The tips of my ears burn red. "Speaking of Tyler, where is he?" I ask, noticing my boyfriend's absence for the first time and desperate to change the subject.

"He said he forgot something at his apartment and would be back soon."

I can't help smiling. That's my Tyler, both forgetful and clumsy.

However, before any of the guys can tease me further, a sharp knock on my front door startles us. Answering it, I'm surprised to see Sergeant Saltzman, the cop whom I'd seen when I filed charges against _him_, on my doorstep.

"Hi, Sergeant Saltzman," I say, stepping aside and inviting him inside.

"Hello, Jeremy. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine." I raise an eyebrow and tilt my head to the side, anxiety building in my stomach at his formal expression and grim expression. "This isn't a social call, is it?"

He sighs, removing his hat and running his hand through his neatly-combed hair. "I really wish I didn't have to be the one to tell you this."

I grip the back of a nearby chair and steady myself, not liking his tone as my thoughts flash to Tyler. Is he all right? Charlie, Bonnie, and Luca crowd closer.

"Is…is it Tyler?" I ask my voice hoarse.

He shakes his head. "It's Matt…he's disappeared. We went to his apartment and…"

His voice fades into the background as my breathing quickens. Beads of sweat form on my forehead. Nauseous, I press a hand over my eyes, my temples throbbing. Knees buckling and vision tunneling, I collapse to the ground, muddled and confusing voices surrounding me. The room spins and dances around me before cool tiles press against my back. I flinch as a wash cloth covers my forehead; drops of water trail down my skin, instantly cooling it. _No, __no, __no. __It __can__'__t __be __true. __This __can__'__t __be __happening! _Slowly fingers brush my hair back, their touch soothing; my beating heart slows and after a few more moments I reopen my eyes. Elena's concerned expression swarms into view as she kneels beside me and dabs my forehead while everyone else hovers nearby.

"Jeremy?" I glance towards her, my tongue feeling thick as I try to respond. "Hey there you are. Are you feeling better?"

I nod and, with Luca and Charlie's help, I sit up and lean against the wall, my stomach reeling. A slight, continuous shake reverberates through my body as I try to relax.

Sergeant Saltzman drops down beside me and lays a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry, Jeremy. I didn't mean to spring this on you, but I felt you deserved to know."

"It's okay," I say and wince at the scratchiness of my voice. Elena offers me a cup of water, which I take and gulp down.

"I just want you to know that we are working hard to find him," he continues, "but just for safety precautions, an undercover police officer will be stationed outside your house or following you at all times."

I nod and close my eyes. A few minutes after that I hear the front door open and shut, signaling his departure. Shakily, I climb to my feet, ignoring everyone's protests to stay down, and stumble into my room, shutting and locking the door.

Matt's disappeared.

Sergeant Saltzman's words replay through my mind. No. It can't be true. It's not possible. Slamming my fist against the wall, I sink to the ground, my eyes wet from unshed tears. _This__ isn__'__t __the__ way__ it__'__s __supposed__ to__ happen_!

I am totally fucked.

Although Sergeant Saltzman promised he and his men would track _him_ down, I know it's a lost cause. They'll never catch _him_. _He_ once told me that I'd never escape _him_. _His _reappearance in my life, even five years after running away, proves that.

Sometime later, after crawling onto my bed, lying on my side, listening to the clock's repeated ticking, and watching the numbers change, I hear the lock jiggle and the handle turn before my door creaks open and then footsteps approach my bedside. As my mattress shifts downwards, I feel arms wrapping around my waist and a light kiss along my neck.

"That door was locked for a reason," I whisper and lean into Tyler's touch. Somehow, he always knows when I need comfort.

He chuckles. I shiver at the tickling vibrations of his breath against my skin. "That's never stopped me before." He hugs me closer. "What's bothering you, baby boy and why was Sergeant Saltzman here? Has Matt been arrested?" I whimper and squeeze my eyes shut. "Jere?" He eases me around so I'm facing him and cups my face. "Jeremy, what's wrong?"

How am I supposed to tell him? He'd been the one to convince me to go to the police, positive that it'd solve all my problems. Apparently he didn't expect this little roadblock.

"I…it's…" My throat tightens, rebelling and refusing to allow me to say the words.

His grip tightens. "Jere, you're scaring me. Did something happen while I was gone? The others wouldn't tell me anything, just that Sergeant Saltzman dropped by and you'd locked yourself in your room."

I squeeze my eyes shut. Tyler rolls onto his back and tugs me on top of him. One of his hands entangles itself in my hair and massages my scalp while his other one rubs my back. Quietly he whispers calming words in my ears.

It doesn't work.

"Jeremy, _please _don't shut me out." He nuzzles his face against my neck and places light kisses along it.

"M-Matt…" Tyler stiffens and I inhale another deep breath.

"Has he tried anything? If he has I'll kill him, I swear. I'll—"

"Tyler, he's gone; disappeared!"

All color drains from his face. "W-what?"

"Sergeant Saltzman went to arrest him and his apartment was empty; there were no traces of either him or Klaus anywhere. I doubt even Damon knows where they're hiding."

Several seconds pass and yet Tyler doesn't respond. I peer up at him and wince. Anger doesn't even come close to describing the fury reflected in his expression as he clenches his fists, his knuckles whitening from the pressure, and pinches his lips together. His gaze flickers towards mine. Unexpectedly, he crushes me against his chest. "I promise you, baby boy," he says his tone tight and strained, "as long as I'm around, nothing bad is gonna happen to you."

I press my face against his chest and hope he'll be able to keep that promise. With Tyler as my weakness—one that I'm sure _he_ knows—who knows how he'll be used against me.

Later that night, after everyone's gone, Tyler and I snuggle up on the couch for our evening tradition of watching _Supernatural_. Turning off the lights, he lifts me onto his lap and drapes a blanket over us before handing me the bowl of popcorn, grabbing the remote, and hitting 'play.' As the recap starts, I grab a handful of kernels and pop several into my mouth. Tyler chuckles and mimics my actions.

Previously this TV show scared me, particularly the first season episode "Bloody Mary;" unable to ignore it, however, I soon became addicted to the series and watched every season without fail. When I heard Tyler'd never seen it, I showed him the pilot episode and now he's hooked too. Currently we're making our way through the second season. Although I'm still pissed about how the sixth one ended and the progression of the seventh, I still enjoy the earlier episodes.

Laying my head in the crook of his neck, I shut my eyes. Tyler, gaze clued to the TV, absently rubs the sensitive skin right below my shirt sleeve. I sigh and wiggle closer.

"Jere, seriously the only way you're going to get any closer is if I'm inside you." Stilling, I bolt upright and gape at him. "What is it, Jere?" He glances towards me and notices the tension in my muscles. "Jeremy?" He switches on a lamp and groans at my expression, registering the meaning of his comment. "Oh man, Jere. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

I untangle myself from his arms. "I know."

Picking up the empty bowl, I mumble something about a refill and scurry into the kitchen. After putting another popcorn bag in the microwave and waiting for it to finish cooking, I lean against the counter tops and grip the edges. It's not like I haven't thought about having sex with Tyler. Actually it's frequented my mind during the past few days, but would he even want that? _He__'__s_ already gotten to me and there's nothing left.

Arms surround my waist. "Is everything all right, baby boy?" Tyler's lips brush against my ear.

Shivering, I nod and shy away when the microwave dings, removing the bag and tearing it open, careful to avoid the plumb of steam billowing out. After pouring the contents into our bowl, I walk back out to the TV room. _You__'__ll __never __be __good __enough __for __Tyler_, a voice, similar to _his_, taunts from the back of my mind. _He__'__s__ only __with __you __because __he__ feels __sorry __for __you. __Who __could __really __ever__ love__ someone __as __tainted __as __you_? Curling up at the end of the couch, I wrap my arms around my knees, grab the remote, and restart the episode; anything to distract me from _his _voice. Seconds later though, the image pauses and Tyler blocks my view of the screen.

"Seriously, baby boy, what's wrong?" He reaches out to touch me; hurt flares in his eyes when I flinch away. "Jeremy? Jere, it's me." He softens his tone, as if addressing an abused animal, kneeling before me, and laying a tentative hand on my knee. "It's your Tyler."

I shake my head, my gaze dropping and shifting to the side. "He's right," I whisper.

Tyler frowns. "What?"

"He-he's inside my head and he's right."

"No, he's not. Jere—"

I scramble away from him and end up on the ground. When Tyler moves towards me, I hold up my hand.

"No. No, he's right. Who could ever want to be with me? I mean look at me! I couldn't even fight off my own _brother_." I shake my head and squeeze my eyes shut. "I'm nothing more than a weak and pathetic waste of human life!"

Without warning, Tyler lunges forward, gathering me up in a tight grip and refusing to relinquish his hold, no matter how hard I struggle. I've lost count how many times he's held me this close or how frequently we've had this conversation.

"Jere, _I_ want you. Although it kills me that I can't be your first, I still want to be with you. I want to show you what a loving relationship is all about."

"Why?" Choked sobs spill from my mouth. "I'm tainted; there's nothing special about me."

Leaning down, he captures my lips with his. Caught off guard, my eyes widen and I stare at him for several seconds. Tyler, unconcerned with my lack of participation, deepens the kiss and works his jaw harder, expressing passions I've never felt or knew were possible. As I respond, however, he breaks away and I stare at him, blinking and panting. "You _are_ something special to _me_. Jere, sex isn't that big of a deal. I just want to be with you. I _love__ you._I don't know how else to make that any clearer."

"I'm sorry, Tyler." Ducking my head, I focus my attention on my finger as I trace over his chest. "_He__'__s_ in my head and I can't get _him_ out of there no matter how hard I try."

Lifting me off the floor, he settles back on the sofa with me, once again, on his lap. "Next time I see that bastard I swear I'll kill him; what gave him the right to traumatize you like this?" Lightly he brushes his fingers over my lips.

I grab his hand. "It's affecting us too." I want so much to be with Tyler, emotionally _and_ physically, but images of _him_, burned into my mind from previous experiences, overshadow my fantasies.

"Baby," Tyler touches the side of my face and strokes it, "healing from something like this is going to take time. I was surprised at how quickly you let me in, but I'm thankful. Reactions like this, I'm assuming, are normal. It's going to take time for your body to heal."

"But will we ever…?" I can't bring myself to verbalize my question.

"When you're ready," he says, understanding. "There's no rush. I'm not going anywhere."

When neither of us says anything else, he turns _Supernatural_ back on. Shifting again, I lay my head on his shoulder, my eyes heavy with sleep, but each time I close them, _his_ taunting expression haunts me. _Damn __you, __Matt_! _You __had __to __pick __now, __of __all __times, __to __return_.

I don't sleep well that night.

Two days later and I'm still moping (Tyler's words not mine). I can't help it though, especially not with the threat of _him_ hanging over us. I've taken to hounding my friends with constant calls and asking them where they are. Although Bonnie, Luca, Stefan, and Charlie say I'm paranoid, after losing Ben and Travis, I'm not endangering anyone else's life.

"Jere, you just called here a few hours ago. Nothing's changed," Charlie says tiredness evident in his tone. He said he'd been out shooting hoops with Luca for the last few hours and was dead tired.

"Sorry. I just…I wanted to make sure you're all right."

"Jeremy?" His voice grows hesitant, uncertain. "Are you…are you feeling all right? Do you need to see someone or—"

Tyler, overhearing and picking up on Charlie's implied accusation, snatches the phone from me. "I'm the one who told him to call you, dickhead," he says, his voice almost a growl. I can't hear Charlie's response, but I can imagine his grimace. "Do you have any more wisecracks about Jere being crazy? No? Good." With that said he hangs up.

I sigh and tug at a loose thread dangling from my sweater sleeve. "Tyler, maybe I am being paranoid. What I'm doing…it really does borderline crazy."

He spins to face me, his eyes blazing. "You are _not _crazy."

I stumble back a few steps. "I know that…so do you and Elena…but everyone else _doesn__'__t_."

However, I'm not sure if I want them in on this secret. While confiding in Elena and Tyler was both a comfort and relief, it was also a gamble as I don't know how this move will affect their lives, whether it'll benefit or endanger them even more.

I can't, won't lose another best friend.

_He__'__s_ already stolen enough.

Reopening my phone, I glance over at the wall clock before punching in Elena's number and listening to that annoying dial tone as my fingers tap against my thigh. Earlier she went to visit her mom before heading into town for some mother-daughter shopping. Though she invited me to come along, _his_ disappearance coupled with the cops' lack of leads left me with no desire to leave my apartment. Elena said after she finished she would swing by, probably between six thirty and seven. I shoot the clock another glance: 7:05 pm. I swallow hard, fear's cold hand seizing and squeezing my heart.

It's unlike her to be late.

After several more rings, there's a small click. Relief floods me. She's all right! However, as her voicemail message begins, I swallow, hang up, and redial.

"C'mon, Elena, pick up the damn phone!"

Another click echoes in my ears. "Hey, Jeremy," Elena says, her tone breathless. Has she been running? "I know I'm running late. I was actually just trying to call you."

I slump against the wall, relieved. So that's why I couldn't get ahold of her during my first call. Tyler, sensing my relief, rubs my shoulders and kisses my neck before exiting the kitchen and giving me some privacy. "I thought something happened…"

"No," her voice softens, "I'm fine, honest. Mom and I got stuck in traffic and I just now got back from dropping her off at home." I nod, comforted by the rustling sounds of her moving around her room. "Oh, remember that Renaissance dress she made for me several months ago? Well I finally found an authentic leather corset to go along with it!" I roll my eyes and shake my head, unable to understand why she would want that. She already looks beautiful, her figure willowy and according to Stefan, curvy in all the right places. "I know Halloween isn't until next month but I don't wanna wear last year's "naughty nurse" outfit…again."

"Maybe you should model it for Stefan."

Elena goes quiet. "Perhaps…I'm wearing the corset and Renaissance dress right now. I wanted to try it on before I bring it over so you can see."

"Sure. Then maybe afterwards you can go over to Stefan's and give him a private show."

In the background I hear the hinges squeak as she opens her cupboard and then switches on the faucet. "Oh he'd definitely love _that_."

"He would and it might give him the incentive to grow a pair and ask you out. You've only been waiting for what three weeks now for him to make a move?"

She hums her agreement. If Stefan knows what's good for him, he better make a move quick because a girl could go gray waiting for him. Several moments pass and a comfortable silence falls as I listen to Elena's breathing. _I__'__m__ really __glad __that __you__'__re __all __right._ I didn't realize I'd spoken the words aloud until she responds with,

"Jere, I've told you before, I'm not…"

An explosion of shattering glass cuts her off and paralyzes me.

"Elena? Elena? Answer me!" The line goes dead. "Fuck you, Matthew Edward Donavan! You're not taking her away from me too!" Snapping my phone shut, I race into the living room. "Tyler!"

Hurrying out of our bedroom, he takes one look at my expression, tosses me my shoes, and grabs his keys before we sprint down to his car. I've barely fastened my seat belt before the engine ignites and the car lurches backwards, the force slamming me into my seat. Shifting gears, Tyler speeds out of the apartment complex. Twin headlights fill the review mirror and I feel a sense of satisfaction as the officer, assigned to protect me, follows.

As the seconds pass, however, my anxiety increases. What if _he_ escapes again? What if _he_ succeeds and kills…I shove the thought aside. I can't think like that. Elena has to be okay. I can't, won't lose her too. Tyler covers my hand and I grip his fingers.

Ten minutes later we arrive. Practically ripping off my seat belt, I bolt out of the car, Tyler hot on my heels. Knowing the elevator would be too slow, I take the stairs two at a time. Once on the fifth floor, I race down the hallway, not caring if I'm disturbing the other occupants' rest. Rounding the corner, I skitter to an abrupt halt. Tyler, unable to stop in time, slams into me. Alarmed, I face him and gesture towards Elena's door, which hangs open. Pushing me behind him, Tyler toes it open.

"Elena?" He calls from the entryway. "It's Jeremy and Tyler. Are you here?"

Silence.

Heart galloping, I clutch his arm. Where is she? Why isn't she answering? It's not like her to leave her door opened and unlocked; she's paranoid about someone breaking in and stealing her stuff, particularly her computer.

"Elena," I say, hysteria entering my voice. "Elena, answer me!"

"Jere, relax, we'll find her."

Unable to stand it, I break away from him and rush through her apartment, calling for my best friend, praying she's all right. With each passing moment that she doesn't respond, my stomach clenches. Arriving at the kitchen, I pause. That's where she was during our phone conversation. Tyler, catching up, seizes my arm and drags me backwards.

"Let me do it." Something in his tone discourages me from arguing. Quietly he enters and freezes.

"Tyler?" I ask, the sudden tension in his muscles scaring me. However, before I even take two steps forward, he holds up his hand.

"Don't come any closer," he says his voice sharp.

"What is it? Is she all right?"

"Jere, go get that officer."

Screams of denial erupt from my mouth. Lunging forward I try to get through. Tyler blocks my path. Yet I still glimpse the blood-speckled counters, glass shards littering the ground and Elena's sprawled form, her wide and staring eyes, and her expression twisted into one of terror; her Renaissance costume pools around her body and blood seeps from the bullet wound in her stomach.

"No! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no." I shake my head repeatedly.

Hoisting me into his arms, Tyler carries me out of Elena's apartment and downstairs where he informs the officer of what happened and he radios for an ambulance. Still numb from the shock, I sag against Tyler. How could I let this happen? I shouldn't have let her go to her mom's house, not alone. I should've taken her up on her offer to come along. I should've protected her better—perhaps invited her and her mother over to my apartment—_anything_.

"It'll be all right, Jere," Tyler's whisper breaks into my thoughts as his arms wrap around me. "She'll be okay. She will."

I stare at him; he doesn't know that for sure.

Sirens echo in the distance.

I bend over and clutch my head; because I didn't keep my mouth shut, I might've just killed another one of my best friends.

Fuck!


	10. Chapter 10

**Warnings**: Slash, Nonrelated, Swearing, Self Blame

**Disclaimer**: Nothing you recognize belongs to me except for the characters Ben, Travis, and Charlie

**Note**: Just as a reminder, Jenna's Elena's mother and not her aunt in this story. Also, if you haven't already done so, please reread chapter nine as I have edited and revised it in a significant way. The previous post didn't fit with my current vision of the story.

~***Chapter ****Ten:**** My**** Worst**** Nightmare***~

I sit leaning forward and gripping my hair. Three hours have passed since Elena's admittance to the ICU and no matter how many times I asked, nobody will tell me anything. Repeatedly images of her bruised and battered body flash through my mind. I cringe. _It__'__s __just __like __Ben__ and __Travis __all __over. __If__ she __dies,__ her__ blood__ is __on__ my__ hands._

Across from me, Elena's mother clutches her hands together, her lips moving in silent, fervent prayers for her daughter's survival. Dried tear streaks line her face, her eyes puffy and red. Although shes hasn't said she blames me, I know she should. If it wasn't for me, Elena wouldn't be here.

Pacing back and forth, Stefan casts frequent, hopeful looks over his shoulder whenever a doctor or nurse passes by. Although his movements are annoying, no one dares to tell him to sit down. Even Charlie hasn't spoken any of his snide comments. Bonnie sit curled up on Luca's lap, her shoulders shaking. He rubs her back in a soothing manner but that does little to calm his distraught girlfriend.

Tyler's arms encircle my waist and tug my limp body closer. He doesn't say anything, but then he doesn't have to. Lightly he brushes away my tears and cradles me against his chest. I nuzzle closer and wrap my arms around his neck. Although I'm aware of people staring, mostly homophobic individuals appalled by the display of gay affection, I don't care. My best friend's life hangs in the balance because of me.

"Family of Elena Gilbert?" a voice calls.

Instantly we all stand. Jenna clasps her hands together tightly. "How is she, doctor?"

The doctor, an older woman with graying hair tied back in a bun and who looks extremely tired and worn, sighs. "We were able to stabilize her. She was shot with a small caliber, more than likely a .22 mm round. Thankfully, the combination of glass and leather slowed the projectile down enough to keep it from doing any real damage. Elena wearing that corset might've just saved her life."

_Thank __God._ I breathe a sigh of relief.

"Will my daughter be all right?" Jenna asks.

"Unfortunately, while removing the bullet, she slipped into a coma." I inhale sharply; Tyler squeezes my hand. "If she makes it through the night her chances of surviving will go up." Removing her glasses, the doctor rubs her eyes. "If there is anything I can for you, please let me know."

Once she leaves, I collapse to my knees. "It's my fault; it's all my fault."

"What are you talking about, sweetie?" Jenna drops down beside me. As she reaches out towards me, I flinch away. "Jeremy? I'm not going to hurt you."

"It's not that," I say as Tyler crouches next to me and wraps his arm around my shoulders.

"Jere only really lets Tyler, and sometimes Elena, touch him like that," Bonnie says.

Jenna looks confused. Sighing, I realize I don't have any other choice, but to tell everyone the truth. They deserved to know, especially with _him_ on the loose.

Tyler's grip on my hand tightens. "Jere?"

"I have to tell them, Tyler," I whisper. "They deserve to know."

"Are you sure?"

I nod and take a deep breath, raising my voice. "There're some things I need to explain to all of you."

After flagging down Elena's doctor, she leads us to a more private location. There for the third time, I relive my past and tell them everything: the constant raping, running away, befriending Tyler and Elena, _him_ returning, filing a report against _him_, and finally _him_ escaping arrest. Ironically I thought the first time I confessed my secrets to Elena was hard, but each time has become more difficult. Even after confiding in Tyler about the threat of _his_ return, it never felt real until _he_ cornered me in the bathroom at Rob's Bar. By the time I finish my story, tears are streaming down everyone's faces.

"Is that why you were constantly calling us, Jere?" Charlie asks his voice shaky. I nod. "Shit, Jere, I'm so sorry for what I said. I thought…I thought—"

"It's okay," I say, waving his comment away. "Any sane person would've thought that."

"That still doesn't give me the right for talking to you like that. You were genuinely worried about our safety and I…I'm real sorry."

Before I can respond, the doctor reappears and announces that Elena's out of Recovery and being transferred to her room where we can visit her for a brief time before letting her rest. As everyone follows the doctor, I remain on the floor, my head hanging between my arms, my palms pressed against the ground, and my eyes squeezed shut. I don't deserve to go with them. I'm the reason she's even here. Tyler, noticing my hesitation, returns to my side.

"Baby?"

"I don't deserve to go see her; it's my fault she's even here."

"Oh, Jere." Once again he draws me in his arms. Burying my face in his neck, I clutch his shirt. "She's gonna pull through. I know she will." I peer up at him and swallow, desperate to believe his words but how can he be so confident when the odds are so high? "Elena's a strong girl, Jeremy. She'll make it through this ordeal. She's got too much to live for and, with the support from her friends and family, her recovery will be even quicker. She's not going anywhere."

Briefly I pull back. "How do you always know what to say to make me feel better?"

Wiping away my tears, he leans our foreheads together. "Because I do. I promise you, Jere, Elena's not leaving us. If she were awake she'd say the same thing."

Sometime later he and I make our way down the hallway, following the directions from the nurses' station and locating Elena's room. Jenna and the gang crowd around her bed but once they catch sight of me, Jenna ushers everyone out. As she passes me, she hesitantly touches my shoulder. I swallow hard and fight the urge to shove her away.

"We'll let you have a few moments alone with her, but, Jeremy there is no way that what happened today is your fault."

I offer a weak smile, despite the fact that she's wrong. Once the door shuts behind them and Tyler and I are alone, I become aware of the humming and beeping sounds coming from the monitor near Elena's bed; numerous wires trail over her body. Slowly I approach and caress her face, her skin cold and clammy. I grasp her hand and smooth my thumb over her palm.

"Don't you dare give up on me, Elena, do you hear me? Don't you dare leave me."

Unable to stand looking at her anymore, I bolt. Behind me I hear my name and vague flashes of my friends' concerned faces register in my mind, but I don't stop. I have to get away. The pain gathering in my chest hurts too much. My leg muscles scream from the unfamiliar strain I'm inflicting on them, but I ignore it and push myself harder. Finally out of the hospital, I collapse against the trunk of a nearby tree and gasp for breath. Hearing approaching footsteps, I turn to see Tyler behind me. Without a word he joins me, settling on the ground and situating me between his legs and against his chest. He lays his head on top of mine. Neither of us says anything.

"Jere?" I glance up sharply at the voice of my middle brother. What is he doing here? How'd he even know where to find me? "I know I'm the last person you want to see right now, but I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I should've believed you."

"Damn straight you should've," Tyler says with a snarl.

"Tyler," I say, but he cuts me off.

"No, Jere. What he did was inexcusable. Brothers _don__'__t_ that to each other."

"He's right, Jere." Damon, backlit by the parking lot lights, stares at his feet, his shoulders hunched and his expression half hidden in shadows. I blink, unaccustomed to dealing with this contrite attitude as his previous cynical behavior painted him as a self-indulgent ass with zero redeeming qualities and who would rather exercise more concern on his outward appearance and standing with the ladies than taking part in a "chick flick" moment of fraternal love. "I _should__'__ve_ believed you, but in my defense I've never seen Matt treat you in any other way than as our younger brother; you two were always joined at the hip. Even as a toddler, you idolized and shadowed Matt's every step."

"Didn't you notice how frequently he singled me out when I turned sixteen?" Years of suppressed anger swells up inside me.

He shakes his head, his expression pained. "No, I was too busy flirting and enjoying life. When…"

"It was the night he asked you to switch rooms so he and I could 'spend more time together.'"

His eyes widen. "Shit! I was right next door and I never heard anything."

"I was gagged."

"Jere, I know I don't deserve it, but I am so sorry."

"I am too, Damon…I am too."

After he leaves, Tyler and I return to the hospital waiting room. Elena's doctor, although visiting hours are over, is allowing all seven of us to stay and sleep there. However, due to previous commitments of work and school, Charlie, Bonnie, and Luca drive back to their homes, promising to return during tomorrow's visiting hours. After Jenna spends some time with her daughter, Stefan takes his turn and stations his chair alongside of Elena's bed, clasping her smaller hand in his firm grip and begging her to come back. Sighing, I lean against the wall outside her room and wonder why he never told her how he felt. Their constant but good-natured bickering hinted at the underlining chemistry between them, so why leave it unresolved?

Tyler's hand on my arm startles out of my thoughts; apologizing, he says he's heading down to the cafeteria with Jenna for a late dinner. When he offers to bring me back something, I shake my head. I'm not hungry. Beside, hospital food sucks.

Not long after he leaves, my cell phone vibrates. Without bothering to check my caller ID I answer.

"Hey, baby," Tyler says, his voice sounding distorted. I move closer to a nearby window and my reception improves but there's still some background static. "Since we're going to be staying here all night, I think I'm going to go back to the apartment and pick up something things. Want to come along?"

Though I don't like the idea of leaving Elena, Stefan and Jenna are here along with the nightshift staff so she'll be protected. Besides, if I stay here any longer, I risk consumption by my guilt. "Sure, Tyler," I say. "Want me to meet you in the cafeteria?"

"No, I'll grab something to eat later. Meet me out front, baby boy."

I agree and disconnect the call.

Figuring Stefan heard the conversation, I don't bother disturbing him as I head down the hallway, bypass the elevator, bound down the stairs, and walk out into the windblown evening; the air, crisp and numbing, stings my face. While waiting for Tyler, I huddle in a corner and hug my jacket closer. Times like this make me wish I had better circulation.

After a few minutes, I peer down at my cell phone and sigh. I don't remember Tyler parking that far away from the hospital entrance. However, I soon catch sight of his black mustang and hurry towards it, moaning at the welcoming blast of heat as I slide inside and buckle up.

"Thanks for taking me with you, Tyler. Seeing Elena lying there and unresponsive was starting to overwhelm me." When he doesn't respond, I glance up, confused by his uncharacteristic silence and the blood drains from my face.

"Hello, my pet," Matt says, his lips peeling back into a sneer as he pulls away from the curb and begins driving. "I told you we'd see each other again."

Quickly I turn to push open the door and jump out.

The locks click into place.

I'm trapped.

From the backseat, someone leans forward, seizes, and pins my arms to my sides.

"Now, now, there's no need for any of that, baby boy," Tyler's voice whispers in my ear.

I squeeze my eyes shut as violent stabs of betrayal assault me. _No.__No._ It can't be true. Tyler can't be in on this too. He wouldn't do that to me. However, it was his voice I heard on the phone in the hospital. Several tears spill over and leak down my cheeks. Was he playing me this entire time—playing me for a fool? Slowly I turn around—part of me still unable to believe he could turn traitor like this and become so cruel, especially after everything he's either said or I've read in his eyes.

Instead of Tyler, I lock gazes with Klaus's, his mouth twisted into a smirk.

My eyes widen.

He can mimic people's voices?

Shit!

"It was _you_." My voice drops to a whisper. "_You_ called me, not Tyler."

Klaus chuckles and shakes his head in amusement. "Very good, Jeremy," he says and pets my hair. "You made it too easy. You should've seen your face when you really thought it _was_ Tyler."

I bite my lip. _How__ could __I__'__ve __been__ so __stupid? __Of __course __Tyler __wouldn__'__t __do __something __like __this__ to __me._ Rapidly blinking back fresh tears, I lean my forehead against the window and press my fingers against the pane, cringing at Matt and Klaus' laughter. Will I ever see Tyler or any of my friends again? When I left, I didn't tell anyone where I was going. Stefan was close by, however, so hopefully he'll tell Tyler where I went…oh who am I kidding? Stefan probably didn't even hear my phone call or see me leave as he was too focused on Elena.

A quick glance in my side mirror confirms my suspicions and shows me an empty road.

No one's coming after me.

**Author****'****s ****Note**: I am _so_ sorry that it has taken me this long to update this story. I have been real busy with schoolwork and my jobs—I have five part-time positions where I tutor individual students so time has been fleeting. However, my final's next week and then I'm hoping I'll be able to return to working on this story and _Open __Your __Heart __to __Us_ again on a regular basis…*fingers crossed.*

So what'd you guys think? Please leave me a review and lemme know. I love hearing from you guys and your comments are always appreciated and loved. :D :D :D :D :D


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer**: Nothing you recognize belongs to me except for the characters of Annie, Ben, and Travis

**Warnings**: Slash, Nonrelated & Incest, Language, Bondage, Rape, Graphic Violence, Torture, Character Deaths

**Warning Note**: This is a _**very**_ dark chapter, probably the darkest one I've written thus far so please read it at your own discretion

~***Chapter Eleven: In the Arms of Darkness***~

Groaning, I gasp at the throbbing pain in my head and lift my hand to rub my eyes.

It doesn't move.

My eyes snap open but immediately squeeze shut again at the blinding light. Cautiously I reopen them and squint. Once my sight adjusts, I find myself in the middle of what looks like an abandoned warehouse, naked, lying spread eagle, and chained on top of a table. I shift and tug at my restraints, the metal links, unyielding and clinking together. Twin rows of dirt-splattered windows line either side of the ceiling and allow just enough light. A cold, damp draft spills into the area through a crack in the farthest window. _What's going on? Where am I_? I try to remember but every time I regain a glimpse of something, my mind rebels and locks the image away.

At the slight pressure around my cock, I glance down and pale at the sight of an equally nude Matt straddling my hips and pumping my cock.

"Glad to see you're awake, Jeremy." His movements increase.

Hissing in pain, I clench my fists. "Matt, _please_ stop."

"Now why would he want to do that, Jeremy?" Planting his hands on either side of my head, Klaus' face looms over mine as he cups and strokes my cheek; his lips peel back in a sneer at my shocked expression and my futile escape attempts. "It's not use, pet. You're not going anywhere."

Violent shudders of terror ripple through my body as the air drains from my lungs. It wasn't just Matt raping me all those years ago.

Klaus had been helping!

"Why?" My voice drops to a hoarse whisper. "Why did you do this me?"

"Why? _Why?_" His eyes narrowing, my older brother seizes my hair and yanks me towards him so our faces are aligned. I bite back a scream as the handcuffs dig into my wrists. "How could you not know?" He tugs harder and this time involuntary cries erupt from my throat.

"Matt, please stop; you're hurting me."

"You've done worse to me." His grip loosens and a pained grunt spills from my lips as I stare at him, my chest heaving. I've done worse? What did I ever do to him? As a child, I looked up to him, admired him. Whenever people asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always answered, 'I wanna be just like my big brother, Matt.' Why did our relationship have to change? "Did you think I wouldn't mind that…that _twink's_ interest in you?"

I frown, my mind racing. What is he talking about? After several minutes, I'm still drawing a blank. Matt releases an enraged growl as his hand snaps forward and connects with the side of my face; the sickening crack of flesh hitting flesh reverberates through the warehouse. I wince and bite my lip, my mouth filling with the coppery taste of blood.

"You know better than to keep me waiting, pet. When I ask you a question, I expect an answer." He flexes his fingers, his knuckles popping in warning and I whimper.

"Matt, I-I don't remember…what are you talking about?"

He slaps me again. I squeeze my eyes shut and struggle to ignore the swell of pain rising in my flushed cheek. What is it that he wants me to remember?

It was some place where someone flirted with me but where…then it hits me: the Nickleback concert! For my sixteenth birthday, Matt took me to see them. They were my favorite band and I was so shocked that he not only managed to score tickets but _third row seats_, as I heard they'd sold out months in advance of their tour.

During the second set of songs and while Chad Kroger sang "Good Times Gone," some guy, not much older than me, tucked a piece of paper in my pocket. At first his action caught me off guard as I'd just realized I favored guys over girls. When I glanced his way, he winked and inclined his head towards a nearby exit. Before I could respond, however, a hand clamped down on my shoulder, fingers digging into my muscles. Matt plucked the paper out of my hands and crumpled it, his lips pinched and eyes narrowed, splotches of red darkening his face. When I asked what was wrong, he snapped that it was none of my business before gripping my shirt collar and dragging me away.

Two nights later, after my family birthday dinner, the rapes started.

"You…you were the one who encouraged me to date," I say, blinking in shock. _That_ incident prompted his change? I didn't even do anything! "When I came out to you earlier, you said…"

"Damn it, Jeremy. You were supposed to pick me not some nameless punk!" I gape at him and my eyes widen as he scoots closer, his erection pressing against my entrance. "Who's been there for you since day one? Who was it that cared for you whenever our parents were too busy? When you figured out you were gay, who did you go to? I've never criticized you and have always encouraged you to be yourself and yet you'd rather date a complete stranger. You've had someone willing to love you standing here in front of you this entire time and you never even fucking noticed me!"

Without another word, he grasps my thighs, pries them farther apart, and shoves inside of me. Unprepared, I arch up and scream; his dry skin thrusts against mine like a rug burn. Tears blur my vision as he drives into me.

"Matt, _please_…it hurts…" I gasp as his momentum picks up speed.

"Now you choose some piss poor excuse for a man as your boyfriend?" Breathing hard, Matt's grunts, which during normal circumstances would be taken as murmurs of pleasure, fill the air. Sweat drips from his forehead. I try to reposition my legs and lessen my pain, but it doesn't work. "What's _Tyler_ have that I don't, Jeremy?" As his grip tightens, nails puncture my skin and thin lines of blood ooze down my arms. "You've always belonged to us—me and Klaus and it's time you realize that. We don't like sharing our possessions."

At the mention of my boyfriend, I flashback to Klaus' phone call at the hospital where he mimicked Tyler's voice, lured me outside, and then they kidnapped me in Tyler's mustang. Before stealing it though, did they do anything to him to insure he couldn't track them? "W-Where is he? Where's Tyler? What have you done to him?"

Matt's thrusts slow before he locks gazes with Klaus and exchanges a grin, pure evil glinting in their gazes. With a nod, Klaus joins us, climbing up behind Matt and pressing his chest against his back. I stiffen as his cock nudges Matt's and realizing their intention, I shake my head; however, my weak pleas are silenced as Klaus forces his way inside me too. I arch up and cry out at the ripping sensation while my body fights the double intrusion. He pushes harder, deeper, farther until he's fully inside. A new kind of pain burns through me as my lungs beg for air. Without pausing or letting me adjust, they slam forward and bury their cocks into me over and over.

I squeeze my eyes shut and it's only then that I realize neither of them answered my question.

Where is Tyler?

After my first night of captivity, I lost all concept of time. As I watch the shadows lengthening along the walls, I wonder how long I've been held prisoner here. Two or three days probably…maybe it's been even longer. I don't know anymore.

My body's grown numb from the endless cycles of inflicted pain and torture as they forced me into one round after another, never stopping. When one finishes, the other assumes his place; the cock ring they secured around my dick, is the perfect torment device as it not only allows me to feel pleasure but it also prevents me from achieving my release.

I'd call them psychotic but even that term does little to convey their apathetic, demented, manipulative, and sadistic behavioral tendencies.

Not too long ago, they decided to conduct experiments and test my pain tolerance. After gagging me, Klaus retrieved a large, black bag of "goodies." With each session, they tried something new, anywhere from anal beads, vibrators, and dildos to double penetration, fisting, knives, and so much more. Unfortunately, their preferred methods included dripping hot wax over my chest, stomach, and ass or chaining me to the wall and suspending my arms above my head with my back facing them. Sometimes they fucked me in this position, but most times they whipped me, their delight increasing each time the leather straps sliced through my skin and produced another welt on my already gash-littered back. Sleep, whenever they did rest, was a fleeting but welcoming intermission.

"Daydreaming again, pet?"

Matt's voice cuts into my thoughts and I wince. Who in his right mind would even fantasize about what they've done to me? "No."

"No what, pet?" Matt seizes and yanks on my hair.

I flinch and grit my teeth. "No, I'm not daydreaming, _master_."

"That's much better; can't have you forgetting your place now can me, pet?" With a final tug, he loosens his grip and shoves me back on the table. "So Klaus and I were thinking of playing a game today…something that requires your participation; how does that sound, pet?" Glancing towards him, I lift an eyebrow and barely resist the urge to snap, 'Do I have a choice?' Pleased with my "cooperative" silence, Matt faces Klaus. "Hand me his phone."

Frowning, I watch as he reaches into his pocket and hands over my cell phone. What would they need that for? Without my charger, how is it even operating? Unless they bought an extra one for some sick, twisted purpose—something I wouldn't put passed them—the phone should be dead.

Once he has my phone, Matt flips it open. "It looks like someone's been missing you, _baby boy_." I tense at the sound of Tyler's nickname for me. "You have over forty missed calls and texts. Let's see…" Scrolling through my messages, he begins reading them aloud. 'Baby boy, where are you?' 'Why aren't you answering your phone, Jeremy?' 'Jeremy, you're scaring me. Are you all right?' Awwww, he's such a sweet and devoted boyfriend." Mockingly Matt wipes away a fake tear.

Klaus rolls his eyes. "Can we skip the cooing and awwww'ing over Tyler's sweetheart abilities? I'm getting a cavity from the cliché of it."

I shift with unease as Matt presses the redial button and then holds it against my ear. My eyes flicker back and forth, trying to decipher their growing smirks and what "game" they're playing now.

There's a click after the first ring.

"Hello? Jeremy? Jeremy, is that you?" Tyler asks breathlessly.

"Tyler…" Instant relief floods me at his voice. Thank God he's all right and they didn't do anything to him…yet. However, whatever Matt's plotting, I need to figure out a way to warn Tyler.

"Oh, thank god, Jeremy! I've been so worried. Sergeant Saltzman and several officers have been combing the city streets looking for you. It's been almost a week. Where have you been? Are you okay?"

A week—I've been missing for seven days. I swallow hard, my stomach reeling with anxiety and restlessness. Tyler must've been sick with worry.

"Tyler, I'm…"

Again I trail off. What could I say without tipping either Matt or Klaus off? Maybe this is exactly what they want from me…act as a decoy and coax Tyler into their trap. I swallow hard as the thought occurs to me.

"Baby boy, where are you? Are you all right?"

Before I can say anymore, Matt retracts my phone. "Oh, he's doing quite well, but you never should have left him alone, Tyler." Although I can't hear his response, I can still hear the panic in it. "You know who I am and if you want to see your precious Jeremy again _alive_, you've got one hour to get to the abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town." My heart sinks. The hospital's easily an hour and half drive away. There's no way Tyler can possibly arrive in time. "The clock's ticking, Tyler," Matt says. "It's now up to you on whether Jeremy survives or not so I suggest you don't waste anymore time."

I can't take it anymore. "Tyler, no, don't it's—"

Snapping my phone shut, Matt backhands me. "Now, now, it's no fair ruining Klaus's surprise. After all the fun he experienced with Ben, Travis and Elena, you want to deny him Tyler too?"

"Wait what?"

"Did you really believe I killed Ben and Travis and attacked your little girlfriend?" Throwing his head back, Matt shakes his head and laughs, the cold and harsh tones ricocheting against the hollow walls. "I only left the door open so you would think I played a part but this really isn't my area of expertise."

"Nope, it's mine," Klaus sneers. "It was so easy too. Ben and Travis never saw me coming and Elena…oh sweet, young Elena." I swallow hard as I listen, unable to stop. "I was with her that day…when she and her mom went shopping. I watched her the whole time, so innocent and unaware of my presence. She's such a lovely woman…maybe I'll help myself before finishing the job."

"Don't you fucking touch her!"

Amused, Klaus shakes his head. "Do you really believe that you can stop me?" He and Matt share another telepathic look. "My dear, dear pet, we have something extra special planned for her. Did you really think I didn't see her wearing that leather corset? I stood outside the store and watched her buy it. After she dropped her mom off, I waited while she tried it on before calling you and then going into her kitchen, where she saw my little gifts and realized that not only was she followed, but I was outside her window. I'll never forget the fear in her eyes before I shot her. I knew the bullet wouldn't kill her though as I didn't want it to."

My forehead wrinkles in confusion. He didn't shoot to kill?

"Ever heard of a fragmenting bullet, pet?" I shake my head, a growing sense of terror building. "They're bullets that shatter upon impact. Imagine the projectile piercing her body only to separate and bounce around, damaging her other vital organs… it'll make for a very painful and slow death." He smirks wider. "I'm also looking forward to finally meeting Tyler. Annie used to talk about him so much." I shoot him a sharp glance. Does that mean…? "Ah, I'm guessing he never told you about his sister." All the color drains from my face as I flashback to when Tyler confided in me about his sister being abused and then beaten to death.

"_Three years ago my sister was murdered after being beaten by her boyfriend."_

_I freeze and inhale a sharp breath. Elena looks pained. "Tyler, I'm so sorry."_

_His eyes grow distant and cloud with memories. "After her autopsy, they found his semen and were able to convict the bastard, but that didn't bring my sister back. Later while going through her belongings, I found her journal. He'd been abusing her for six months and I never noticed. I am-was her older brother! I should've seen there was something wrong. I'm supposed to know things like that."_

A strangled gasp spills from my lips.

The other two murderers were _Matt and Klaus_.

Shit!

Klaus crawls back onto the table and straddles my chest, stuffing his cock into my mouth and muffling my panicked pleas. "Suck it, pet." Unwillingly my lips wrap around his tip. Moaning, he reaches back, his arms encircling Matt's neck and drawing him into a kiss. "What do you think, babe?" he asks as they pull apart. "We've still got time until Tyler arrives, if he even makes it here on time, so how about having some more fun with our pet here?"

Fear grips my heart as my older brother smiles, his expression turning predatory. It's only then that I finally glimpse what he's holding in his hands: a switch blade.

"Sounds like fun."

Retrieving the gag ball, Klaus leans forward and hooks it in my mouth. As Matt lines up against my entrance, I pray for strength to live through whatever torturing fest they have planned.

After what feels like hours, Matt and Klaus both collapse on top of me, exhausted. Extracting himself, Klaus's cum seeps out of me and mixes with Matt's. Thin rivers of blood trickle down my arms and chest. As Klaus disappears for a moment, Matt caresses my face and brushes my hair back in an almost tender fashion. Too weak to resist his touch, I close my eyes and whimper. When Klaus returns, I notice the bowl in his hands contains some sort of white substance. Grabbing a handful, he sprinkles it over my cuts. As seething, white-hot pain flares through my veins, my eyes widen with horror and tears.

Salt.

They were scattering _salt_ over my wounds.

After a moment, Matt traces his fingertip over the word _ours_ that he just carved into my chest. "This is so you don't forget who owns you, Jeremy."

Arms linked, he and Klaus exit through a nearby door, their retreating footsteps echoing in the distance. Shaking and still gasping from pain, I wait for them to return; when they don't, I sigh in relief and close my eyes. However, images of what just happened haunt me. There's absolutely no way Tyler will want me anymore now that I've been marked, especially not if either of us survives this nightmare.

Sometime later, a car door slams. I jump at the unexpected sound. Outside, two people converse in low, frantic tones. As I strain to hear, my chest tightens once I recognize Tyler's voice. Moments later, a door opens, the squeaking hinges disturbing a cluster of birds rousting in the rafters and shattering the silence. _After all the fun he experienced with Ben, Travis and Elena, you want to deny him Tyler too?_ Matt's words, from before, flash unbidden through my mind. I twist and turn my body, ignoring the flare of pain in my wrists as I try to escape.

I need to warn Tyler.

"Jeremy!" His relieved shout reaches my ears. Quickly I shake my head, cautioning him to stay away, but the sight of me covered in cum and blood only urges him closer. "Oh, god, please don't let us be too late." Damn it, he's half way across the room. Why can't he see it's a trap?

My heart racing, I spot Damon trailing behind Tyler; although we've never been close, he's my only hope. Our gazes lock and he seems to understand my message.

"Tyler," he says and hurries towards him. "Do you hear anything?" Tyler halts, his head tilted to the side before he shakes his head. "Exactly; it's too quiet."

"I'm _not_ leaving, Jeremy."

As he runs towards me, Klaus leaps out of the shadows, his gun pointed at Tyler's heart. Tyler doesn't have time to react before Damon tackles him to the ground, the bullet meant for my boyfriend tearing through my middle brother's shoulder. I cry out in protest. Collapsing to the ground, Damon rolls to the side and clutches his wound, blood oozing from between his fingers and staining his shirt. Klaus growls in frustration and faces Tyler.

"So you're Tyler." Shakily Tyler climbs to his feet and nods, his eyes flickering back and forth in search of a weapon. Klaus crowds closer. "Annie talked about you a lot."

That catches his attention. "How the hell do you know my sister?" Klaus doesn't respond but Tyler doesn't need him to as he glances towards me, his expression slackening in realization. "It was you, wasn't it?" His voice sinks to a low, angered growl. "You and Matt…you guys and her boyfriend abused and then murdered my sister."

Klaus chuckles and claps his hands in a mock gesture of praise. "Very clever, Tyler, but it's too late now."

Without a word, Tyler spins and rushes towards where he and Damon entered, dives through the doorway, and rolls to the right. Seconds later, five gun shots decorate the ground where he landed. Puffs of dirt and smoke fill the air. Klaus licks his lips as he reloads his gun and cocks the trigger. My ears throb with the pounding of my heart as he steps out of the warehouse, glancing from side to side before venturing forward and hunting Tyler.

Please don't let Klaus catch him.

"Well, well, well, look who else I've snared in my net," Matt says as he emerges from his hiding place. "Damon, I'm surprised at you; here I thought you were on my side."

"Fuck you, Matthew!" Damon's eyes burn with hatred as he struggles to stand. "What kind of sick fuck abuses and tortures his kid brother? Did you get jealous over the fact that Jeremy favors someone else? Did that damage your 'big brother' pride?"

"I don't have to justify myself to you," Matt says, his voice a snarl as he backhands Damon.

Caught off balance, Damon topples to the floor. Dropping down beside him, Matt grips his injured shoulder and digs his finger into the bullet hole, smirking at the pain-filled gasp erupting from Damon's throat. Shoving him away, Matt stands and stalks towards me, his fingers curling around a Glock .40 handgun.

"Don't bother trying, Jeremy," he says as I struggle. "We both know you can't escape me. I've told you before that you couldn't get away. If you'd listened, like a good little boy, then Ben, Travis, Elena, and Tyler would still be alive. It's because of you that they had to die."

Several tears trickle down my cheeks.

No matter what I say or how I look at it, I am to blame for their involvement.

Their blood is on my hands.

Cocking the trigger, my brother—no my _murderer,_ he hasn't been my brother for several years—raises and aims the gun barrel at my heart. My throat tightens. _Please let it be quick; please don't let me feel it_.

"If I can't be with you, Jeremy then no one else can either."

Several seconds pass before a shot is fired.

**Author's Notes**: Wow, that was a hard chapter to write and if you read through it, then I apologize for what I just did to Jeremy. Unfortunately, I couldn't control this chapter's contents as it wanted to focus on the twisted, sadistic tendencies of Matt and Klaus as well as give you the full picture of Jeremy's past and how everything started. Anyways, please leave me a review and lemme know what you guys thought.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer**: Nothing you recognize belongs to me except for the characters of Ben and Travis

**Warnings**: Slash, Nonrelated, Language, Character Deaths, Violence, Manipulation, Minor Sexual Content

**Shout Out**: Thank you to all my readers but a special thank you goes out to **Ghostwriter**. Thank you so much for helping me out with several small details, like Tyler and Damon's cars as well as coaching me in writing Damon dialogue. It's not easy, but you've been a major help. Thanks again, girl!

~***Chapter Twelve: Regaining Strength***~

"_If I can't be with you, Jeremy then no one else can either."_

_Several seconds pass before a shot is fired._

I squeeze my eyes shut and hope, pray, beg for a quick end.

Seconds pass.

Yet nothing happens.

No piercing pain, no numbing sensation—nothing.

Is this what it feels like to die?

Slowly I open my eyes and wish I hadn't as the sickening sound of flesh ripping fills my ears. His eyes widening in disbelief, Matt stiffens and stares at me, as a pool of blood stains his shirt. A strangled cry spills from his mouth before his eyes roll back into his head and he crumples to the floor, his gun slips out of his fingers and spinning across the ground. Behind him, my savior, gun still in hand with a smoking barrel, steps forward.

Tyler.

Relief floods me like a tsunami wave swallowing a beach shore. _Thank God he's all right!_

"Take that, mother fucker," Tyler says, kicking and spitting at Matt's body. "Enjoy hell as they have a special section reserved for you." Then as he glances up, his eyes lock with mine and an unreadable emotion passes through them. "Oh, baby boy." He rushes to my side and his hands cup my cheeks. "Oh God, what have they done to you?" My gag muffles my response. Quickly he tears it off.

"Tyler, oh thank God…"

My voice trails off with an unexpected crack as Tyler's hesitant fingers trace down my arms and over my chest. I wince, the cuts still sensitive. Anger flares in his eyes as he yanks off his jacket and drapes it across me. Bending down, he fishes through Matt's pockets and grins when he locates a key, hopefully the one to my handcuffs. As he unlocks my wrists, something wet falls against my skin and I frown, reaching out to touch Tyler's face.

"Tyler?"

He shakes his head and moves away, his attention fixed on untying my legs. Accomplishing that, he wraps an arm around my waist and helps me sit up. As I do, the room shifts and spins. Vision tunneling, I squeeze my eyes shut, my head throbbing and nausea swelling in my stomach. Tyler massages my lower back and whispers soothing words while I grit my teeth and struggle to control the acid burning within my throat. Moments later, the reeling sensation settles and I blink my eyes open, breathing hard; beads of sweat speckle my forehead. Tenderly, he brushes his thumb across my blood-caked wrists. I lean against his shoulder, comforted by his presence. After a brief rest, I tighten my grasp around his neck as he once again lifts me bridal style and heads towards the exit.

"Tyler, wait," I say, casting frequent looks towards the shadows. "What about Klaus?"

He chuckles bitterly. "You won't have to worry about him anymore, Jere. I took care of him. It's over."

I slump against his chest. _It's over._ The words echo in my mind. I'm free…_I am free_! Never has anything sounded sweeter than those three words: I am free.

Since Matt stole his mustang, Tyler buckles me into the front seat of Damon's Dodge Viper before he runs back inside the warehouse and returns a few moments later supporting my injured brother.

"Hey there, Jeremy," Damon says and offers me a half smile. "Glad to see you alive." I nod as my gaze focuses on his shoulder. Blood crusts his wound and has dyed his blue shirt an almost black hue. Biting my lip I turn away. None of this would have happened if I hadn't answered my phone. "Jeremy, stop." Damon shuffles closer and lays a hand on my shoulder. "Don't blame yourself for mistakes."

Before I can respond, Tyler's door opens and he joins us. Without a word, he revs the engine, backs away from the warehouse, and merges onto the road, heading home. From my side window, I watch as the warehouse—my almost grave site—fades from sight.

After five minutes of silence, I shoot Tyler a sidelong glance and gauge his appearance: eyes transfixed on the road, lips pinched in a firm line, hands white-knuckling the steering wheel. I swallow hard and turn away.

He's mad at me.

That's the only explanation for why he's avoided talking and touching me. Maybe he suspects that I doubted his dedication to me. Even if it was just for a moment, I still doubted him. Yet, I didn't do it on purpose; he has to know that, right? He wouldn't abandon me now…not after rescuing me…right?

As numerous thoughts plague my mind, preying on and resurrecting past insecurities, my throat tightens. Unable to breathe, I lean forward, clutching my stomach and gasping for air. Sweat prickles my forehead and a cold chill grips me.

Abruptly, car tires screech to a halt. Nearby, a seat belt clicks and releases with a snap. A door's thrown open and then closes. Gravel crunches under hurried feet. Gritting my teeth, I squeeze my eyes shut as sharp pain lances through my head. From beside me, my door whooshes open before a pair of hands cups my cheeks.

"Deep breaths, baby boy," a voice directs. "Breathe and focus on my voice, Jeremy." I crack my eyes open and Tyler's face swims into view. He holds one of my hands against his chest. Blinking, I stare at him; the rhythm of his beating heart pulses underneath my fingers. Drawn to it, I close my eyes and struggle to mimic his example. Slowly oxygen returns to my brain and after another moment, I'm able to raise my head; damp hair clings to the back of my neck. "Are you okay?" I glance over at Tyler and blink in confusion as he caresses the side of my face. He's touching and talking to me whereas he wouldn't let me near him at the warehouse. "Jeremy?" His voice grows anxious. "Talk to me, baby boy."

Turning away, I duck my head. "I'm sorry," I say in a soft tone.

"For what?"

"For getting kidnapped. It's my fault…everything that's happened is my fault. And now you're mad at me—"

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute, back up. _Who_ said I was mad at you?" he asks, his forehead wrinkling. At my lack of response, his eyes cloud with guilt. "Oh, Jeremy," he wraps his arms around me and cradles me against his chest, "I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at myself. I promised I wouldn't let anything bad happen to you and…I'm the one who should be sorry."

I pull back and run my fingers over his cheeks. Grasping my hands, he presses them to his lips. My eyes fall shut at his touch.

"But you weren't talking to me…"

He shakes his head. "I'm so sorry, Jere. I didn't know exactly what they'd done to you and I didn't want to scare you. After what you went through, I wasn't sure if you wanted me near you."

As always, he'd just been looking out for me. Reaching up, I hook my hand around his neck and tug him closer, the two of us sharing a brief kiss.

"I want you near me always. I love you," I say as he pulls back and connects his forehead with mine.

Smiling, he pecks my nose. "I love you too. Now, what do you say we get you and Damon to a hospital? Sound good?"

Damon utters a pained grunt from the back seat, volunteering his agreement. Quickly, Tyler rebuckles me before he climbs back into the driver's seat and switches on the engine. As he merges onto the highway, he interlaces our fingers together and places them on top of his thigh. I offer a small smile before closing my eyes. About halfway to the hospital, my repressed pain resurfaces, but this time I don't fight it; instead, I welcome the relief and sink into the darkness as it surrounds me.

Groaning, I claw my way back to consciousness. A soft, steady beeping noise fills my ears. When I finally manage to open my eyes, I find myself again lying on a hospital bed and surrounded by four, white walls. At the light pressure around my hand, I glance down and lock gazes with Tyler. A feeling of déjà vu sweeps through me. It wasn't that long ago that I was in a similar predicament and woke up to both Tyler and Elena…Elena! I bolt upright and then fall backwards, my vision blurring and my body protesting against my sudden movements.

"Easy there, baby boy." Tyler rubs my arms and lays a cool wash cloth over my forehead.

"Elena," I gasp my voice hoarse. Tyler hands me a cup of water with a straw, which I take and gratefully sip, the liquid sliding down my throat and easing the soreness. "Elena," I say again, "is she all right?"

Grinning, he nods. "She's fine. She woke up about an hour ago and asked for you. You can go see her in a little bit." Hurriedly I throw back my covers and sit up. Tyler shoves me back. "Where do you think you're going, young man?"

"I want to see Elena now."

"Sorry, baby boy." He smiles sadly. "Your doctor said he wants to see you as soon as you're awoke. I think he needs to run some tests to make sure your body didn't sustain any permanent damage. You've been unconscious for the last 48 hours. Once the tests are done, though, I promise I'll take you to visit Elena."

I slump against my pillows and cross my arms with a childish huff. Chuckling, he kisses my cheek before heading towards the door.

"Hey, Tyler?" Glancing over his shoulder, he raises his eyebrows. "I'm…" I drop my gaze and stare at my sheets, fiddling with a few loose threads. How am I supposed to tell him? He already blames himself for my capture; do I really need to tell him _this_? The bed shifts under his added weight and I glance up when his hand touches my shoulder. "You…you never asked me how Matt and Klaus managed to kidnap me."

His lips thin into a frown and his grip tightens. "I didn't want to pressure you and figured you'd tell me when you were ready." I swallow hard and fidget under his scrutinizing gaze. "Are you ready now?"

I nod and take a deep breath. _Here goes nothing_. "They…called me." I keep my gaze trained on my lap, unable to bare his disappointment. Looking back, I could tell it was a setup and yet I ignored all the clues. "Klaus, he…he could mimic people's voices apparently s-so he called me and said…he was you." I swallow at Tyler's sharp intake of breath. "H-he said he-you wanted to pick something up at the apartment and f-for me to meet you downstairs. I knew your-his voice sounded funny, but blamed it on a bad cell phone connection. Well, I went downstairs and got in your car. But it wasn't you driving…it was Matt. I tried to escape, but then Klaus-he-he grabbed me, still mimicking your voice and I thought…I thought…"

"You thought it _was_ me," Tyler says, his voice pained.

"Tyler, please don't be mad at me. I'm sorry I doubted you, I just—"

"Hey, hey, calm down, Jere." He wraps an arm around my shoulders and fits me against his side. "I'm not mad, not at you anyway. I'm angry at Matt and Klaus for manipulating you." Placing two fingers beneath my chin, he tilts it up. "Jere, you know I'd never do anything to hurt you, right?"

I nod. "Yes, and I should've known it then, but he sounded just like you and Tyler, I was so scared!"

Collapsing against him, I bury my face in his neck, my body quivering with an uncontrollable shaking. Tyler settles back against my pillows and holds me against his chest, one hand massaging my stomach while the other smoothes back my hair. I'm not sure how long we stayed in that position but unfortunately my doctor's arrival separated us. Before a nurse ushered Tyler out so my doctor could run some routine tests on me, Tyler leaned down, kissed my forehead, and whispered five words that I repeated over and over to myself while waiting for his return.

"I'm here, Jere, I'm here."

Several hours later my doctor deemed me well enough to visit with Elena, which thrilled me but now that I'm standing outside her door, I'm not sure what to do. For the last few minutes I've stood here, my hands shaking while indecision paralyzed my body. Would she even want to see me? Although indirectly, I'm the reason for her near death experience and hospital visit.

Tyler's arms loop around my waist as he waits behind me, his chin on my shoulder.

"Nothing's going to happen from staring at the door."

_Thank you, captain obvious._ I roll my eyes but refrain from uttering a sarcastic reply. "I know, but how is she going to react? It's because of me that she's even in here." Abruptly Tyler flips me around so we're face to face.

"Now you listen to me, Jere, it _wasn't_ your fault."

"But they were after me and—"

"That may be true, but her attack wasn't your fault." I look away, but he catches my chin and brings my gaze back to his, his grip firm but gentle. "No matter what lies they fed you, no way is any of this your fault. You didn't ask for this. They're the ones who targeted you; blame those manipulative bastards for hurting Elena, you, and countless others."

We stare at each other for several minutes. Around us, I glimpse nurses making their rounds and doctors chatting with their patients or writing on their clipboards. Finally I nod. Satisfied, Tyler reaches around me and knocks on Elena's door. At her yelled, "Come in," he pushes open the door and drags me inside.

Elena sits on her bed, no longer in her hospital gown, but dressed in regular clothes. Jenna's probably on her way to pick up her daughter, but Stefan, Charlie, Luca, and Bonnie crowd around Elena, all four of them talking at once. Once I enter, though, their conversations cease. Nervously, my eyes flicker back and forth between my friends. An awkward silence settles as we all stare at each other, unsure of what to say. However, Elena solves the awkwardness by jumping off her bed, pouncing on me, and almost suffocating me with a bone-crushing hug.

"Jere, oh thank God you're all right." Warm moisture trickles down my neck. "I heard about what happened. How are you doing?" she asks once we separate.

"I…I'm doing all right." I cup the side of her face and wipe away a tear. "How are you doing?"

She smiles and kisses my cheek. "Some days are better than others, but I'm healing. My doctor released me earlier and I am so ready to be out of here."

I nod jealous. I'll probably be here for another day or so because my doctor wants to monitor my behavior and confirm they didn't miss anything before my discharge. Uncertainly Stefan, Luca, Bonnie, and Charlie inch closer but still maintain their distance. Glancing over at them, I hold my arms out in gesture for a hug.

"I'm not gonna break, guys."

Instantly, four bodies tackle me. My throat tightens at the overwhelming feeling of love and gratitude. These four people, plus Tyler and Elena, have stuck by me these past few years. Even when I told them about my past, instead of rejecting me, they remained at my side, supporting me. And now, they're here for me again. _What did I do to deserve such good friends_? At the thought, I bury my face in someone's neck. Although my friendship with Ben and Travis came close, it pales in comparison to what I share with Tyler and Elena.

"Hey, who decided to throw the party and not invite me?" a voice calls from the doorway. Glancing over my shoulder, my eyes widen as the sight of my middle and now oldest brother. "I went to your room and the nurse said I'd find you in here."

I untangle myself from my friends before cautiously approaching Damon. His right arm hangs across his chest and rests in a sling.

"Does it hurt?" I ask and wince at the sight. Matt really did a number on him.

He shakes his head. "No, it just tickles." I roll my eyes at his sarcastic reply, grateful that even after everything that's happened, Damon's snarky attitude hasn't changed. Stepping closer, he grips my shoulder, his expression serious, and asks, "How are _you_ doing?"

I glance back at my friends and smile. "I'm surviving."

He nods before he tugs me into an unexpected hug. "I was so fucking scared."

Taken aback by his uncharacteristic display of affection, I stare up at him and tense at the array of emotions in his eyes. Apparently witnessing Matt's cruelty and animosity towards me rattled Damon far worse than I imagined.

"Damon, relax. You and Tyler found me in time. Matt and Klaus are dead and I'm alive."

"Right and I'm the Queen of England. Jeremy, after what they did to you, you're far from fine." He shakes his head, moving over to the window, breathing hard, and clenching his fists. "They're both lucky that Tyler killed them otherwise I would've torn out their hearts and watched them choke on their own blood."

I swallow at my brother's remark, stunned by the anger and hostility behind it. I shoot Tyler a concerned glance and stiffen at his mirrored expression of hatred.

"For what they did to you, Jeremy their deaths were quick, painless, and not at all what they deserved."

For a moment I stare, my gaze alternating between Tyler and Damon, unnerved by the flat, cold, and vengeful attitudes radiating off them. Shivers spider down my spine and I grip a nearby wall to steady myself. Although I've seen glimpses, mainly with Tyler of how protective he is of me, to see actual proof of how far Damon would go to protect me, is both astonishing and a bit frightening. During our childhood, neither of us was very close and he spent more time flirting with and wooing women than paying attention to his little brother. Up until now, I never realized just how much Damon really does love and care about me.

The following day my doctor finally discharges me. Quickly stripping off my hospital gown, I redress in the pair of jeans Tyler lent me and button up my shirt. As I'm looking over my room and making sure I have everything, someone knocks, pushes open my door, and then peeks inside.

"Hey, there baby boy." Tyler grins as he enters and kisses me. "So are you ready to get out of here?"

"Hell yes!"

Laughing, he drapes his arm over my shoulders and together we walk towards the elevators. Once outside, I close my eyes and raise my arms above my head, listening to the cool breeze whistling through the trees and rustling the leaves, the whoosh of nearby cars driving passed, and sunlight warming my skin—mundane sounds and feelings but ones I thought I'd never experience again. However, I was free. I was _free_! The threat of Matt and Klaus no longer hangs over my head and I don't have to fear for my friends' lives. I was free. While spinning around, Tyler grabs my hands and pulls me against him.

"Happy?"

I nod and nuzzle my face against his neck. "You have no idea."

Chuckling quietly, he squeezes me tighter. "I think maybe I do."

He leads me towards the parking lot, but the car he stops in front of, isn't his car. Instead of a black mustang, I'm staring at a black Ferrari Camero.

"Tyler, what—"

"I traded the mustang in," he says as he unlocks the doors. "Since Matt abducted you in that car, I didn't want you to thinking about him or your experience whenever you're in the car with me."

Overwhelmed, I hurry around to the driver's side and tackle him, his startled gasp giving me the perfect opportunity to slip my tongue inside his mouth. Wrapping his arms around my waist, he pulls me closer, our hips colliding, as he tilts his head to the side and deepens our kiss. My fingers entangle in his hair and play with the small strands at the base of his neck. Briefly his lips leave mine only to reattach themselves to my neck, biting and sucking. My head falls back as moans spill out of my throat.

"_It's no use, pet. You're not going anywhere."_

Unbidden Klaus's voice haunts my memory and I break away from Tyler with a startled cry. I sink to my knees and clutch my head.

"It's gonna be okay," Tyler whispers as he crouches beside me.

I shake my head. "No, it won't. They might be dead, but I'll never be free—truly free—of them. They're in my mind," I tap the side of my head, "and they won't leave."

Slowly Tyler reaches for me, giving me time to pull away, but I don't. "You just need to give yourself time to heal, Jere. Remember what I said about reactions like this being normal?" I nod and sniffle. "After what you've experienced, it's a wonder you haven't totally broken down."

I stay silent for a few moments, digesting his words. "I'll be okay, so long as I have you around," I say, leaning against him and tugging on his jacket.

"You'll always have me." He drops a kiss on my shoulder and I shift even closer. "I'm not going anywhere."

Almost two weeks after my abduction, my life seems to have gone back to normal—whatever normal is. Although Tyler and I still kiss, I have to be careful not to let it stray too far in case of triggering a flashback. Tyler says he understands and while I believe him, sometimes I can't help wondering if maybe he ever feels frustrated. After all he's a guy with needs; he can't be completely satisfied beating off by himself. About a week ago, I offered to give him either a hand or blow job and he declined it.

"Jere," he said, cupping both sides of my face, "you don't want this."

"B-but you do; you need it," I whispered, my fingers inching closer, unbuttoning his pants, and pulling the zipper down.

"Jere, stop, _stop it_!" Seizing my wandering hands, he pressed his forehead against mine and took a deep breath. "Jeremy, listen to me, when the time's right, we'll be together, but I'm not going to force you into doing something before you're ready. I'm not…_them._ Don't sell yourself short. I'm comfortable waiting until you're ready."

We spent the rest of the night cuddling against each other on the couch and watching reruns of Supernatural.

I glanced up as the running shower switches off and take comfort in knowing Tyler will be joining me soon. Lying across my bed, I stare up at my ceiling and count the cracks. Though it's over, I feel like I've spent the last few years with unstable moods, but Tyler says it's due to my emotions going haywire. Matt's return and my rape interrupting my recovery process didn't help matters either. As the bathroom door opens, light floods my bedroom as puffs of steam emerge from the bathroom, curling around the doorframe and spiraling into the air.

"Hey, baby." Tyler's voice breaks into my thoughts as he crawls onto the bed and settles down next to me. "What are you thinking about?"

Sighing, I snuggle closer and inhale his fresh, just showed scent. "I was just thinking about the past few weeks…our relationship…everything that's happened." He kisses my forehead before rolling over and switching off the light. I shift even closer. "I love you."

"I love you too," he says, his eyes closing. "Try and get some sleep."

I stiffen at his suggestion. Since my capture, nightmares have plagued my sleep. Although I've never told Tyler what I see, I know he suspects that they center on my kidnapping experience. However, his guess would only be partially correct.

"Come on, Jere," he says after a few minutes. "Your body needs rest."

"I'm not tired." Immediately my mouth splits open in a wide yawn and I curse my sleep-deprived body.

"Uh-huh. Sure you aren't," Tyler says, his tone teasing.

I turn over and press our chests together. "Tyler, please don't make me go to sleep."

"What are you so afraid of?" I stay silent, my fingers tracing over his eyebrows, cheeks, and lips, memorizing the bumps and dips of his face. "Are you still having nightmares?" I duck my head and nod. I've never been able to lie to him. "Do you want to talk about them?" I shake my head. He really doesn't need to know what I've been reliving.

I slide off him and move to the edge of the bed. "I'm going to watch some TV."

Without waiting for his reply, I shuffle across the carpet and make my way towards our living room. Curling up on the couch, I grab the remote and channel surf. A thick blanket plops down beside me. Startled, I jump before spotting Tyler. He gestures for me to stand and once I do, he stretches out on his back. I lie down so we're chest to chest before he drapes the blanket over both of us. I rub my face against his and sigh.

"My little kitten," he whispers, his legs entangling with mine.

I smile at his new pet name and refocus my attention on the TV, staring unseeingly at the screen. My eyelids grow heavy with want of sleep. I desperately fight to stay awake, but exhaustion soon wins me over and I dose off.

_Sometime later, a car door slams. I jump at the unexpected sound. As I strain to hear, my chest tightens once I recognize Tyler's voice as he calls my name. Moments later, a door opens, the squeaking hinges disturbing a cluster of birds rousting in the rafters and shattering the silence. _After all the fun he experienced with Ben, Travis and Elena, you want to deny him Tyler too_? Matt's words, from before, flash unbidden through my mind. I twist and turn my body, ignoring the flare of pain in my wrists as I try to escape._

_I need to warn Tyler._

"_Jeremy!" His relieved shout reaches my ears. Quickly I shake my head, cautioning him to stay away, but the sight of me covered in cum and blood only urges him closer. "Oh, god, please don't let me be too late." Damn it, he's half way across the room. Why can't he see it's a trap?_

_As he runs towards me, Klaus leaps out of the shadows, his gun pointed at Tyler's heart. Tyler doesn't have time to react before_ _he pulls the trigger. Tyler stiffens and his eyes widen before he crumples to the floor and clutches his shoulder, thin rivers of blood oozing from between his fingers._

_I cry out in protest. Matt appears beside me, his switch blade clutched in his hand. "This is your fault, Jere," he says as he climbs on top of me and drags the tip across my skin. I turn my face away and bite my lip as the knife penetrates my skin but Klaus seizes my head and forces me to watch Matt's actions. "You brought this all on yourself, Jeremy. If you hadn't told anyone our secret then this wouldn't have had to happen."_

"_Leave him alone!" Tyler winces and struggles to stand._

"_You hear that, Jeremy? Your boyfriend wants me to leave you alone." He throws his head back and laughs. Klaus approaches Tyler and slams his fist into Tyler's stomach, digging his knuckles into his ribs over and over again. I cry out in protest again, my pleas for him stop ignored. Tyler attempts to fight back but when Matt joins in, Tyler doesn't stand a chance. Within moments, he collapses to his knees, gasping for breath as a little blood dribbles down the side of his mouth. Matt flashes me a sadistic grin before retrieving his knife and sauntering towards Tyler. Matt seizes a handful of his hair and drags him up. I struggle in vain against my handcuffs. "It's over, Tyler," Matt said, his grip around his knife tightening. "Jeremy is mine!"_

_Without another word, Matt slits Tyler's throat and grins at the choked, gurgling cry that escapes his mouth before his eyes flicker towards mine and then he collapses to the floor._

"Jere, Jere, wake up!"

My eyes snap open at the sound of Tyler's voice and I bolt upright, throwing my arms around him and clinging to him. _He's all right_; i_t was just another dream_. Warmth surrounds me as his arms encircle me and rub my back.

"Shh, shh," he says softly in my ear, "it's all right, I'm here now."

I shake my head and pull back, my body still shaking. "You left me."

He frowns. "I never left you; I've been right here the entire night."

"No, no." I shake my head again. "In my dream, you left me." He still looks confused. I sigh and before I realize it, I'm explaining my nightmares. "Do you want to know why I've been avoiding sleep these past few weeks? It's because of my nightmares. Every night I dream about…what happened. Each time begins the same and sometimes Damon's there with you, but mostly it's just you who came after me and…" my throat tightens, "Matt m-murders you."

"Oh baby boy, come here." Tyler gathers me in his arms again. "I'm right here." He grips my hands and holds them against his face. "Feel this? I'm real. I'm alive."

I squeeze my eyes shut and bury my face in the crook of his neck. Shifting so I'm in his lap, he rocks us back and forth, his hands rubbing soothing circles over my back.

"I wish there was some way I could help you," he says as his lips press against my forehead.

As I lift my head, he leans forward and kisses away my tears. "You can."

Quickly he draws back. "Anything," he says. "I'll do anything."

"Make love to me, Tyler."

His mouth falls open as he gapes at me, his expression one of shock. Then he shakes his head. "Jere, I don't think—"

My hand covers his mouth and silences his words. "Tyler, _please_," I says as I turn and straddle his hips, rubbing against him. Feeling him harden, I increase my movements. He gasps, his eyes rolling up into his head while his hands clutch my thighs. Yet, he doesn't push me away. Gaining confidence from this, I continue, "I want to be with you." I tighten my arms around his neck, my lips brushing against the shell of his ear with every word I speak; shivers spider through his body. "But I can't…not when _he_…not when _they_ still have a hold over me. Help me break that, Tyler." I lean forward and kiss him; hungrily he presses back and I feel his answering erection against mine. "_Make_ me forget, Tyler. Make me _yours_."

**Author's Note**: Hope you guys enjoyed this last chapter and hope it answered all your questions/concerns raised by the previous chapter. Thank you once again to everyone who read and reviewed the previous update. I love hearing from all of you. Please let me know what you guys thought of chapter twelve. Unfortunately, this story's drawing to a close as there're only three more chapters left after this one.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer**: Nothing you recognize belongs to me except for the characters Charlie, Ben, Travis, and Annie

**Warnings**: Slash, Nonrelated, Language, Implied Abuse, Fingering, Graphic Sex

~***Chapter Thirteen: Love Me Tender***~

_My hand covers his mouth and silences his words. "Tyler, _please_," I says as I turn and straddle his hips, rubbing against him. Feeling him harden, I increase my movements. He gasps, his eyes rolling up into his head while his hands clutch my thighs. Yet, he doesn't push me away. Gaining confidence from this, I continue, "I want to be with you." I tighten my arms around his neck, my lips brushing against the shell of his ear with every word I speak; shivers spider through his body. "But I can't…not when _he_…not when _they_ still have a hold over me. Help me break that, Tyler." I lean forward and kiss him; hungrily he presses back and I feel his answering erection against mine. "_Make_ me forget, Tyler. Make me _yours_."_

Eyes wide, Tyler draws back and stares, his dilated eyes flickering with uncertainty and concern.

"Jer…are-are…are you _sure_?"

I nod and push against him again. With a groan, he stands and carries me towards our bedroom. Along the way, my arms wrap around his neck and my legs lock around his waist. Bumping into a nearby wall, Tyler cups the back of my head and crashes our lips together. I close my eyes and surrender my body to the sweet feeling of his touch and allowing myself to feel.

I open my eyes and gaze up at his smiling face as he lays me on our bed before climbing on top of me and reconnecting our mouths. Trembling, I clutch his shoulders, my fingers digging into his skin, my heart galloping when his erection presses against mine. _Relax. This is Tyler; he'd never do anything to hurt me._ Sensing my hesitation, he draws back. I swallow hard, my vision blurring as distorted images of _them_ invade my memory.

"Jeremy." Tyler cups the side of my face and caresses my cheek with his thumb. "We don't have to this—"

I shake my head. "No, Tyler. I do. I _need_ to do this. Please."

"Okay," he says his tone understanding.

As he unbuttons my shirt, I lean forward and capture his mouth with mine, urgency and enthusiasm fueling my actions. Gripping my chin, Tyler slows us down and angles my face in a way that allows his lips to explore every part of my mouth. I whimper and grip his shoulders, realizing just how much he's held back. Distracted, I hiss when the room's cool temperature hits me and with it the realization that I'm naked—in front of Tyler. My heart rate increases as I fight the impulse to hide. Of all the times I've been naked before someone, none of them were enjoyable. However, right now feels nothing like what I've felt in the past. Tenderly, Tyler slides his hands along my sides and I gasp when his thumbs brushes over my erect nipples.

Yet, _their_ faces haunt me.

I tug on Tyler's shirt; briefly he sits back and pulls it off, throwing it over his shoulder. Leaning closer, he sucks on my neck, his tongue sliding across my collar bone and massaging it. Whimpers and moans tumble from my lips and my hips, in an unconscious movement, buck against his clothed crotch. As his eyes roll back in his head, his forehead drops onto my shoulder, his breath quickening.

"Tyler, please…" Again I thrust against him.

"Jeremy," he says, his voice pained as he holds me down, "if you keep doing that, this will be over before it starts." Swallowing hard, I nod, my lower lip caught between my teeth. With desire in his gaze, his eyes sweep over my body. Self consciously I wrap my arms around my waist. "Jeremy," seconds pass before our eyes meet, "why are you trying to cover yourself? You're so beautiful."

Cheeks red from embarrassment, I turn away. "No, I'm not."

His touch gentle, Tyler turns my face and allows our gazes to reconnect before he bends forward and presses his lips to mine, his tongue tapping at my mouth and begging for entrance. Granting it, I moan as he explores every crevice he can reach. Once we separate, I open my eyes and blink in surprise at the wetness in his eyes.

"I wish you could see yourself as I see you. Jeremy, you _are_ beautiful." His thumb traces my lower lip. "I don't know how to make you see that. What they did to you was horrible and has left scars, but you're still beautiful, inside and outside."

My chest tightens at his words. No one's ever said anything like that to me; with _them_, I never felt good enough of someone's affection let alone love. "How can you really want to be with me? I have nothing special to give you."

"Baby boy," he says with a smile, "they didn't take _anything_ from you. Technically you still have your virginity; the act doesn't count if it wasn't consensual—not in my book anyway."

Squeezing my eyes shut, I loop my arms around his neck and hug him close, listening to the rhythm of our hearts blending. "Thank you," I say my words soft. "I don't know what I've done to deserve someone like you."

"Jeremy," he buries his face and nuzzles my neck, his arms tightening around my waist, "it's me who should be thanking _you_ for giving _me_ a chance."

My fingers threading through his hair, I drop a kiss against his forehead. "Tyler?" He shifts and glances up. "Take me."

He nods and stands up. "You don't have any lube, do you?"

I offer him a shy smile. "Top drawer," I say, gesturing towards the dresser next to my bed and chuckling at his shocked expression. Still blinking, he opens it and pulls out a full bottle of lube. His gaze alternates between me and the lube for several minutes before his eyes narrow and his lips curl up in a playful smirk, nothing like the look I used to see on _their_ faces.

"You little…you planned this, didn't you?"

I shrug, my gaze lowering and my fingers fiddling with my sheets. "Possibly."

Leaning over, he pecks my nose. "That's sweet," he says in my ear, licking and nibbling on my earlobe. Drawing back, he reaches back into the drawer and fishes around before looking back at me, eyebrows raised. "Do you have any condoms?"

"I don't need any." His eyes widening in concern, I hurry to explain, "While I was at the hospital and they ran all those tests on me, they also checked for any sexually transmitted diseases; all my results came back negative. I'm clean, so unless you've…" I trail off, having never considered the possibility of Tyler still being a virgin. I glance away and squeeze my eyes shut. _What were you thinking, Jeremy_? _Of course he isn't one anymore_. With his body—one that boasts of muscles that he developed from his football days—loads of guys _and_ girls have to be vying for his attention.

Who am I to think I'm worthy enough to be his first?

Tilling my chin up, he lightly pecks my lips. "You're my first," he says as he moves back on the bed. I grin up at him, thrilled at the opportunity to share this with him. Spreading my legs, he straddles my hips, uncaps the lube, and squirts a generous amount on his fingers. "Ready?" Realizing this is really happening, I tense as his slicked finger probes my entrance. Inhaling sharply, I struggle to breathe and nod. He presses his fingertip in. It doesn't hurt, but the feeling of something penetrating me stirs up unwanted memories. "Jeremy, do you need me to stop?"

At his words, I glance up but instead of Tyler's face, I see _him—_Matt. I squeeze my eyes shut. _You'll never be free of me, Jeremy_, his voice whispers, an echo in the back of my mind. I tense as his never fading presence closes around me. _I'm in your mind where you can't escape me_. I shake my head and whimper. A horrified gasp fills my ears and I feel Tyler retracting his finger. My hand snaps out and seizes his wrist.

"Keep going," I say. "I'm all right."

Uncertainty crosses his face. Grasping his face, I lightly kiss his lips, a quiet _please_ whispered against our lips. I know I'll never break free unless I erase these memories. Pulling back, Tyler stares at me. Apparently what he sees convinces him as he reinserts a finger and presses in deeper. Slowly he pulls out before he pushes back inside, repeating this process several times.

It feels so different from when _they_ took me. With _them_, _they_ didn't give me time to adjust and _they_ never stretched me. In some sick, twisted sense of justification, the more pain I experienced, the more intense _their_ arousal became. Over time, it developed into a game to see how much I could endure. Yet, with Tyler, he's more focused on me and pleasuring me.

After several minutes, I ask him to add another finger and gasp at the extra pressure; his eyes never leaving mine, I watch as he scissors me. It doesn't exactly feel pleasurable, but since it's him fingering me, it still feels good. Unexpectedly my eyes widen at the sudden tension in my balls and then my back arches off the bed, a near cry of pleasure tumbling from my lips.

"Found your prostate," he says, his eyes twinkling.

I don't care what the organ's called, so long as he keeps touching it. Numerous waves of pleasure crash against me and my stomach muscles clench as I draw closer to my release.

"T-T-Tyler, don't stop, please, don't stop."

His movements quicken. More moans erupt from my throat. If this is anything compared to the actual experience of sex, it's no wonder people enjoy it. Repeatedly, my hips thrust up.

"Feel good, baby?" he asks, hovering over me. I grab his neck and pull him down, smashing our lips together, not even bothering to restrain my whimpers.

Just then, my eyes snap open and my hips still as warm liquid spills out of me. Collapsing against my bed, I lie there gasping and struggling to calm my racing heart.

"All right there, baby boy?" Tyler asks, his voice penetrating my foggy thoughts.

Blinking, I struggle to form a coherent sentence. He laughs at my dazed expression, bends forward, and licks up the remnants of cum covering both our stomachs. My eyes close and my back arches. Oh does his tongue ever feel good!

"So…is-is that what sex is supposed to feel like?"

He chuckles and brushes aside a loose, damp stand of hair. "Yes but it's on a smaller level, baby boy." He stares at me for a few seconds. With the heat radiating from his gaze, I feel my soft cock stirring and hardening, beads of precum bubbling out. "You still want to…"

I nod. "Hell yes. I _need_ this, Tyler. I want to be with you in every way possible."

He takes a deep breath. "It'll hurt less if you're on your hands and knees or even on your stomach."

I shake my head. "I want to see you."

Tyler groans, stripping off his pants and retrieving the bottle of lube. After coating himself several times, he lines up against my entrance. I tense at the feel of his hard, wet tip. Unbidden, Klaus's face flashes before my eyes. Shivering, I struggle to shove away his memory. Tyler reaches down, grasps my hand, and presses it to his lips.

"Jeremy, stop, it's me," he says in my ear. His warm breath hitting my face helps calm my nerves. Reassuringly he grips my fingers. "Do you feel this, Jeremy?" He gestures to our joined hands. Uncertain of his message, I nod. "It's me, _not_ Matt, _not_ Klaus, but _me_ here with you. I'm not going to hurt you."

I smile, doubts fading but still present. "I know that, but…"

He caresses my face. "I get it, baby boy."

At my nod to continue, he begins entering me; instantly my lips clamp shut and my breathing grows heavy. Gasps echo through our quiet room as he pushes in father, inch by inch until he's fully inside. Although it doesn't hurt—much—my body still rebels against his cock's intrusion; flashbacks of _them _assault my mind. Biting my lip, I feel tears building behind my eyes as I stare up at Tyler, battling with myself to let him show me this. Tenderly, his thumb wipes away the water collecting on my cheeks. Several minutes later my body relaxes and adjusts to his size. When I'm ready, I experiment and move my hips, groaning when he slides in deeper. Taking this as his cue to continue, he pulls out and then pushes back inside, over and over. This time there isn't any rug burning friction between us. No, where _their_ thrusts were painful, hard, quick, and bruising, Tyler's are gentle, loving, caring and slow. I lock gazes with Tyler's watery form.

"Are you all right?" he asks, his voice choked and hoarse.

I nod and tug him down for a kiss. _So this is how it's supposed to feel._ When he again brushes against my prostate, his mouth swallows my screams. Increasing his pace a bit, he buries himself deeper and deeper. I wrap my arms around his neck. _Am I supposed to participate or do I just lie here_? Hesitantly, I meet his thrusts with my own. Catching Tyler's encouraging smile, I see the proud look in his eyes and know I did something right. A thin layer of sweat covers our skin as we move in sync against each other. All I can hear are the sounds of skin slapping skin and our labored breathing, every once and a while punctured by breathy grunts and moans.

All too soon I feel myself tensing as a warm sensation fills my stomach. As one of my hands grasps his shoulder, the other entangles in his hair.

"Tyler," I say, my voice emerging in pants, "I'm close."

He pumps his hips faster. "Me too, baby boy; wait for me."

I lean back against my pillows, seas of pleasure engulfing me. I'm so close, but unfortunately I can't quite reach my peak—not yet anyway. Reaching down, Tyler's hand wraps around my throbbing erection, twisting and rubbing it. I arch up at the intense feelings his hand creates as it slides up and down. My eyes close. _I'm so close…just a little more_. Then right as his thumb presses down on my tip and I feel Tyler's cum splash inside me, my back arches and my mouth drops in a silent scream, my own release consuming me. When it's over, Tyler collapses on top of me in a mess of sweaty limbs, but I don't mind his weight.

Lazily, he runs his fingers over my chest. "How are you doing?"

"That…that was amazing!" I say my voice breathless. "I never knew it could feel like that."

He chuckles. "Yeah, it was pretty intense."

As he starts to pull out, I whine in protest, hooking my legs around his waist and bringing him back inside me; he groans at the added pressure on his spent cock. "Don't. I like feeling you inside me. Please don't leave me."

Planting a light kiss on my forehead and brushing away a wet strand, he smiles. "Then I won't; whatever you want, Jeremy I'm right here, love."

It takes some maneuvering, but he manages to find a comfortable position spooning my back. A soothing silence falls between us as my hammering heart returns to its normal rhythm. I shut my eyes but no longer sense either of _their_ threatening presences and breathe a sigh of relief.

Now I really am free.

"Do you regret it?" Tyler asks, his abrupt question shattering the silence.

I leaned back and kissed him. "I could never regret what we did. Thank you for giving me a 'real first time,'" I whispered against his lips before nestling my head in the crook of his neck and groaning as his hands slip down and massage my stomach.

His arms tighten around me. "I love you, Jeremy."

I smile and place my hands over his, my grip reassuring. "I love you too."

Yawning, I feel sleep creeping up on me, but instead of fighting it like I have in the recent weeks, I welcome it and drift off to sleep.

For the first time, in several weeks, I sleep nightmare free.

**Author's Note**: Hopefully this chapter lived up to everyone's expectations and I showed Jeremy's conflicted and vulnerable emotions in a realistic light. Please leave me a review and let me know what you all thought.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer**: Nothing that you recognize here belongs to me except for the characters of Ben, Travis, Charlie, and Annie as well as the companies Fleurs and Green Thumb Planters

**Warnings**: Slash, Nonrelated, Language, Implied Abuse, Hand Job, Graphic Sex, Blowjob

**~*Chapter Fourteen: Because of You***~

Sunlight dances across my eyelids.

Moaning in protest, I crack an eye open and squint till the blurry clock numbers clear.

7:30 AM.

With another groan, I yank the sheets over my head and bury my face farther into my pillow. _It's too early._ Unfortunately my sleepy mind is already waking up and that's when I become aware of arms tightening around my waist and hear soft snores in my ear.

Slowly I glance over my shoulder and grin. Tyler lies spooned against me, his hair tussled and a small trail of drool dripping from his mouth. Sometime during the night, my blanket fell down to his hips and left me with a front row view of his toned muscles. My smile widens as images of last night flicker through my memory.

Rolling over so we're chest to chest, I snuggle closer. Although corny and cliché, the previous evening was the best night of my life. Unlike _them_, Tyler handled me so lovingly and gently, giving me plenty of opportunities to back out while encouraging me to fight whenever painful memories resurfaced and threatened to consume me. Someone must really be looking out for me to have sent me an angel like him. As I continue watching him, my heart swells with an unfamiliar but welcome sensation. _Is this what it's like to feel truly happy_?

"See something you like, baby?" a sleep-thick voice asks.

My gaze snaps up and locks with Tyler's. When did he wake up? Recovering, I smile and nod. "Yes, actually I do. You," I say, leaning forward and capturing his lips.

Lazily he rolls onto his back and pulls me on top of him. Straddling his hips, I whimper as his cock sinks deeper inside me. When we separate, he caresses my face. I lean into his touch and kiss the inside of his wrist before closing my eyes and sighing.

"How are you feeling?" he asks, his fingers traveling through my hair, his eyes staring into mine with a touch of concern. "Are you sore at all?"

I shake my head. "Last night," I say, my voice breathy, "…was amazing."

His eyes brighten. "No regrets?"

"No regrets." I lie down and nuzzle his neck. His arms encircle me and his fingertips rub small circles into my lower back. "What would I do without you?" His skin muffles my rhetorical question and part of me hopes he doesn't hear it.

Unfortunately, he does.

"Crash and burn," he says, but then his grip tightens. I glance up curious and tense at his serious expression. "I'm not going anywhere, you know that right?" I bite my lip and give a slow nod. At least I hope he isn't going anywhere. I need him, more than I've ever needed or wanted anyone in my entire life. "Then I guess that means you're stuck with me," he says with his usual goofy grin.

Although uttered in a teasing manner, his words carry an unspoken question. I resist the urge to roll my eyes. After everything we've experienced, how could he even consider the possibility that I'd want someone else?

As I prop myself up on my elbows, our gazes lock. "I wouldn't want it any other way."

He smiles in relief and tugs me down into another heated kiss.

Switching off the shower, I push open the door, grab two towels, and hand one to Tyler. After drying my upper body, I step out of the stall, pad over the mirror, and wipe a clear path across the steamed surface. As I rub my hair dry, Tyler moves behind me and places his hands on my hips.

"Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?" he asks, nibbling on my ear.

Laughing softly, I lean back and hook my arms around his neck in a backwards hug. "It's all for you, baby because I'm all yours."

"Good," he says. "I don't share well with others."

Lightly I push him away. "You're such a goofball."

I knot my towel around my waist and go to open the bathroom door, but Tyler catches me around my middle and drags me back against his chest; his awakened erection presses against my thigh.

"But I'm yours."

"That's right and don't you forget it." When I go to move away again, his grip doesn't loosen. "Tyler, I need to get dressed."

"Why?" he asks, bending down, sucking, and biting my neck. "It's just you and me here. What's to stop us from spending the entire day in bed?"

Shivering, I lean back and tilt my head to the side, giving him more access. "As fun as that sounds, I heard Elena leaving a message earlier about wanting to hang out later as she has something to tell us."

He whines in disappointment. "I was hoping to have you all to myself today."

I laugh. "Careful, Tyler. Sounds like you're getting possessive."

"I've always been possessive of you, baby boy. Can you blame me?"

Sighing, I shake my head. "No but _they_ were possessive too and…I just don't want our relationship to be similar."

Flipping me around, Tyler lifts my chin. "Jere, do you really think I'd do that to you?"

My throat tightens at the note of hurt in his voice and I shake my head. "It's just that's how everything started."

"No, it started with that bastard raping you."

"You and I had sex yesterday."

He stiffens and pulls out of my grasp. "So you do regret it."

Before I can protest, he yanks open the bathroom door and slams it behind him. For a moment, I stand there and stare at the empty space behind me, stunned. What prompted me to say that when it isn't how I feel? Quickly I open the door and when I don't find him in the bedroom, I race down the hallway and spot him on the couch, his shoulders hunched and his head buried in his hands.

"Tyler?" I take a hesitant step towards him. When he doesn't respond, I move closer. "Tyler…" Sighing, I rub the back of my neck at his lack of acknowledgement—not that I can blame him. "I'm sorry. What I said earlier…I don't and could never regret last night." My gaze drops to the carpet. "I know you're not…_them_ and that you would never hurt me like that…it's just…that's the only kind of relationship I've ever known. When you were talking about keeping me all to yourself, a part of me knew you were teasing, but that's exactly what _they_ did: kept me away from others." I press my lips together and swallow, my mind flashing back to the early days of _his_ abuse. At first, as long as I didn't anger _him_, the rapes occurred maybe two or three times a week, despite _his_ insistence that I sleep in _his_ room; however, two months later, _he_ cornered and coerced me into having sex more often. Regardless of whether _he_ was drunk, pissed, or in a good mood, _he_ took what _he_ wanted whenever _he_ wanted it—no ifs, ands, or buts allowed. Shaking aside my memories, I refocus on Tyler. "I'm trying here, Ty, but I'm so fucked up, it's gonna take time to straighten me out."

"Are you saying we shouldn't be together?" His strained voice startles me.

His question hits hard and with no control over my body, I lunge at him, throwing my arms around his neck and clinging tight. "No! You can't leave me. You promised you wouldn't!"

"Jeremy, Jeremy," his voice sounds like a moan as he seizes my hands, pries them loose, and kisses my knuckles repeatedly, "I already told you that I'm not going anywhere. Yes, what I said about wanting to keep you here with me was partly teasing, but mostly serious too. I've seen too many bad things happen to you in the recent weeks and I don't want to see anything else happen to you."

"You can't always protect me, Ty."

"Watch me," he says, his eyes flashing. "Look, Jere, I'm sorry about walking out on you earlier, but when you compared me to Matt—"

"I never said that!"

"It was implied, Jere," he says quietly.

I close my eyes and clench my fists. "That wasn't what I meant. I only meant that I don't want anything like that ruining our relationship too. When I heard what you said, my mind translated it into something different and…but that didn't give me the right to react the way I did and I'm sorry."

Tyler places his fingers over my lips. "Shh. I understand. Looks like both you _and_ I both need to work on our communication skills."

I press my lips together and nod. Communication—that's the only way our relationship will survive and mature. "Ty, if you really want today to be just the two of us—"

"No, it's fine. We haven't hung out with the gang for awhile and I think it would be good for you to see your friends. However, we will need to have a long overdue conversation soon."

Tackling him, I press our lips together; he gasps and I take the opportunity to slip my tongue inside his mouth. His tongue meets mine, dueling briefly before he overpowers and dominates the kiss. Flipping us over, he presses me into the couch and rubs his hips against mine. I throw my head back, moans and whimpers escaping. I entangle my fingers in his hair, tugging on the strands and hooking my legs around his waist.

One of his hands eases its ways between our bodies, unties our towels, envelopes both our erections, and jerks them together. Gripping his shoulders, I squeeze my eyes shut and cry out in pleasure, my hips thrusting in sync with his movements. Tyler's lips travel down my chest and once he reaches my erect nipples, he gives each a long lick before taking one in his mouth, sucking and grazing it with his teeth. My back arches and I push my chest more into his mouth.

"Tyler…please, I'm…ah yes, I'm close…"

He glances up at me, his eyes a milk chocolate color, and pumps his hand faster. "Me too, baby."

At the familiar tightening in my stomach, my nails dig into his back; as waves of pleasure crash through me, I cum with a shout before my body goes slack. Seconds later Tyler, his hips still rutting against mine, releases. Chest heaving, I blink my eyes open and stare up at him and his cum-covered stomach. With a mischievous wink, he bends forward and laps it all up. Stunned, I lie there and pant hard, unable to help whimpering at the slow, wet slide of his tongue. After a moment he pulls back and hovers over me: the intensity of his stare more than I can comprehend.

Then his lips cover mine.

As I respond, my chest tightens from the swell of love, desire, tenderness radiating off him. I clutch his shoulders and kiss back in hopes of mimicking those emotions and conveying everything that he means to me. Tugging me closer, his tongue taps against my mouth and I relax my jaw, coaxing him inside and tasting the mixture of his and my cum. While I've always considered the taste of my own spunk to be disgusting, when it's combined with Tyler's, it's an addicting flavor.

"Damn, baby boy, you taste good," he says, his voice husky as we separate.

I grin up at him lazily. "Another shower?"

His smile turns wicked as he scoops me up and hurries towards the shower. "Definitely."

Finishing our second shower, Tyler texts Elena and says we'll meet everyone at Starbucks at a quarter passed noon. Because of me though, Tyler and I arrive fifteen minutes later than expected and as a result, everyone's already there with their preferred drinks. While Tyler waits in line, I head towards the back table to join our friends. The moment Elena and Bonnie spot me, they scramble out of their seats and tackle me with hugs.

"It sure took you long enough," Bonnie says and ruffles my hair.

"Hey!" I move away and pretend to fix my hair. "No one touches my hair."

Tyler slips up behind me and drags his fingers through my hair in an exaggerated caress. I shiver, but do nothing to push him away. Elena's eyebrows shoot up as she suppresses her giggles and Bonnie crosses her arms with an affectionate smirk. "Oh is that so? No one touches your hair, huh?"

"Boyfriend privileges," I say, my cheeks flushing.

Chuckling, the girls usher me back to where Luca, Stefan, and Charlie are waiting while Tyler collects our drinks when the barista announces the order. I greet the guys and take my seat. Moments later, Tyler snags the chair beside me and hands me my Caffé Mocha. I shoot him a grateful look and take a sip, before scooting closer.

For the next half hour, Bonnie recounted how she spent the last two weeks in Connecticut visiting with her grandma, whom she has wanted to see but couldn't due to her restrictive schedule at Fleurs. Because his father wanted quality father-son time, Luca requested time off from his gardening position at Green Thumb Planters and drove up to the mountains where he learned how to fish and improved his archery skills during a weekend camping trip. Charlie, not in a talkative mood, only volunteered vague details about bussing tables at Mystic Gill while a new waiter shadowed him and learned the shift routine. In the evenings, Charlie either retired to his home and caught up on missed TV shows or hung out with another friend.

Although I comment on my friends' stories, for the most part I stay quiet and enjoy the aroma of fruity and Frappuccino blends coupled with fresh-baked cookies, candied pastries, and gourmet sandwiches permeating the air. Behind me, a barista rings up several customers' orders before passing them over to another coffee-maker to brew and prepare. Nearby I catch fragments of other patrons' conversations while also straining to hear the faint, background music playing overhead. It's moments like this where I'm grateful to have more socializing time with my friends without the overshadowing fear of _them_ plaguing me.

As my attention returns to my friends, Elena launches into a story about Stefan surprising her with an invitation to go dancing. I frown and tilt my head to the side while Bonnie coos about how "jealous" she is; the guys, although surprised at Stefan's actions, remain nonchalant. Yet, no one comments on the rarity of them hanging out and acting civilized towards each other. Am I the only person who finds that odd? Elena continues to gush about Stefan teaching her several Fifties dance steps. Unconsciously, my gaze wanders over to his. Used to their hot and cold show of affection, I brush off their quick but affectionate banter exchange and brace myself for the infamous return of their bickering. That's probably why no one's said anything. However, when I glimpse Elena leaning towards Stefan and stealing a kiss, I choke on my mocha.

That's not normal.

Instantly, six pairs of eyes snap in my direction.

"You okay there, Jere?" Tyler asks and rubs my back.

Ignoring his question, I gesture towards Stefan and Elena. "So…how long have you two been dating, Elena?"

Instead silence.

Elena's face reddens as Bonnie's head jerks towards her, her eyes wide and her expression screaming "how dare you not tell me this!" while Luca and Charlie chuckle and nudge Stefan in the ribs, hooting, whistling and wiggling their eyebrows. Conflicted, Stefan glances around unsure of how to react while Elena fiddles with her cup, her gaze avoiding mine.

"Oh would the two of you relax?" From the way everyone's acting, you would think Stefan's broken some sacred taboo in order to date Elena. "I'm fine with you together…actually I'd say it's about time." Everyone else nods and voices their agreement. "Seriously, I was getting whiplash from watching the two of you arguing one moment and then flirting with each other the next," I say, flashing them a teasing smile.

Stefan slumps in relief. "I asked her out after the hospital discharged her. We went on a few dates to see if we could handle each other in a romantic sense. When that was a success, I got up the courage to ask her out officially yesterday and she said yes."

"I wasn't hiding this from any of you," Elena says her voice quiet and timid, shying away from Bonnie's indignant look. "I wanted to tell all of you in person."

Pushing my chair back, I approach and kneel beside her seat. Hesitantly her eyes meet mine. "I'm not mad. I'm happy for you actually. All of us have been waiting for you to get together." Inwardly, I recall how a few of us even started a bet to see how long before one of them confessed, but Elena and Stefan don't need to know about that.

Elena stares at me with her mouth dropped. "You have…really?"

I nod and lightly kiss the top of her head before meeting Stefan's gaze. "You may be my friend too, Stefan, but Elena's my best friend, next to Tyler. If you hurt her then I'll break your face."

He scoots his chair closer to Elena's. "I have no intentions of hurting her," he says, fitting her against his side and tucking her head beneath his chin. As his arm locks around her waist, she snuggles closer and shuts her eyes when he bends down and pecks her nose. I smile at the exchange before returning to my seat and laying my head my boyfriend's shoulder.

Elena couldn't have found a better guy.

When we leave Starbucks, since it's still early enough in the afternoon, we all decide to spend a few hours at the local beach, which thankfully isn't crowded during the afternoons. After parking and claiming our spot, the six of us pair off to play a game of Frisbee. Tiring of that, Charlie suggests a few rounds of Truth or Dare. For the most part the dares and truths are pretty tame, until Charlie's Truth choice leads to the discovery of a secret love interest. Unfortunately, no matter how much the girls beg, he refuses to elaborate.

Out of the whole group, Charlie's the one I could never figure out. His personality varies to the point where just when I think I've figured him out, he pulls some random prank that reveals another layer to his character. Though we've tried, none of us could pinpoint his type; however, learning that he's found someone perks my curiosity and I run through a mental list of potential partners.

None of them fit.

After Charlie's adamant refusal to disclose his "love interest's" identity, Stefan, Tyler, and Luca abandoned the game in favor for some bodysurfing. Elena and Bonnie grabbed their towels and lay down, in hopes of improving their tans. I stretch out on my own towel and enjoy the warmth of the waning sun on my skin. Sensing someone's gaze, I open my eyes, expecting to find an unapologetic Tyler but am startled to see Charlie shooting me uneasy looks. That's odd. I'm not his "love interest"…am I? At that thought, I shift my attention to a cluster of nearby rocks. Waves crash against them, water spraying upward and coating them with white foam. Against my will, my gaze returns to Charlie's. Anxiety and nervousness swell in the pit of my stomach. Neither of us considers the other as anything more than a friend…right?

Tyler must've noticed Charlie's unwavering attention and my growing discomfort as he emerges from the sea, water dripping from his muscles and hair; gravitating to my side, he secures an arm around my shoulders, his territorial actions all but shouting "mine, back off!"

"Stefan Salvatore, don't you dare!"

Elena's shriek shatters the tension and I turn in time to see Luca and Stefan each seizing their respective girlfriends, racing down the sand, and dumping them into the water. Both girls come up sputtering. With narrowed eyes, they charged after their snickering boyfriends. Unfortunately that leaves Tyler, Charlie, and me alone. After a few moments, Tyler stands and stalks towards Charlie. I go to follow but my body refuses to respond. Lips pursed, Tyler says something and jabs a finger in my direction. Although too far away to hear their conversation, I catch the shock playing across Charlie's face as he hastily shakes his head. Whatever he said in response causes Tyler's expression to melt into a grin and he shoots me a wink. I heave a sigh of relief.

Crisis averted...for now.

Grumbling, Elena flops down beside me, sand immediately clinging to her soaked bathing suit and wet skin; clumps of dark hair cluster around her face.

"Don't you dare laugh," she says, wagging a warning finger in my direction. I press my lips together; the corners of my mouth twitch, but somehow I manage—barely—to keep from laughing. She offers me another threatening look as she retrieves her towel, scrubs away the sand, and rubs her hair dry. Distracted, I glance over at Tyler and chuckle as he gains the upper hand in a water wrestling match with Charlie. "You really do love him, don't you?"

I jump at her unexpected question. "Who Tyler?" She nods. "More than I ever thought possible. Elena, if I ever lost him I don't know what I'd do."

She nudges my shoulder with a playful grin. "Have you seen the way he looks at you? He isn't going anywhere, not unless you tell him to."

As if sensing our conversation shift, Tyler's gaze locks with mine. Smiling he waves while gripping Charlie in a headlock. "It's pretty crazy everything that's happened to us lately," I say, waving back and shaking my head as he fights in vain to free himself.

She sighs and sits back, propping her arms behind her for support and stretching her legs out in front of her. "Hey, Jere, I never did apologize for reading your journal."

I glance at her in surprise. "Elena, that was five years ago. What brought that up?"

"Stefan told me about your breakdown in the hospital after I was attacked." She takes my hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. "Telling everyone took a lot of courage. Anyway, I've been thinking about what you said and probably none of this would've have happened if I hadn't snooped and read your journal."

"Elena, we don't know that." I catch her chin and turn her face towards mine. "_They_ were both twisted and deranged psychopaths. There's no way you could've foreseen what was gonna happen; hell, all this time I thought it'd just been M-Matt raping me and then I found out about Klaus."

"That maybe be true but if I'd just left you alone instead of trying to befriend you—"

"Elena, stop. No matter what happens, I've _never_ regret becoming your friend. Sure, at times I worried it would lead to your death and it almost did, but we're all alive and _they're_ dead. Just let it go."

She raises an eyebrow at me. "Have you?"

I stare at my feet; damn she knows me well enough to see through my speech façade. "I'm trying," I say softly. "It's not easy and I do still feel pretty guilty about what almost happened, but, with Tyler, you, and everyone else around, I think I'll recover."

She smiles and kisses my cheek. "That's what friends are for."

Just then a pair of arms surrounds my waist and I feel my back connect with a solid, damp chest. Without looking I know it's Tyler.

"Hey there, baby." I tilt my face up and meet his lips in a kiss.

"Hi." He nuzzles my nose before he looks at Elena. "Mind if I borrow him for a bit?"

She grins and shakes her head. "Not at all. In fact I still need to repay a certain someone for dumping me in the ocean." With that, she rises and stalks towards an unsuspecting Stefan.

Part of me feels bad but not enough to warn him. After all, he awakened his girlfriend's wrath and now it's only fair that he deals with the consequences.

Hand in hand, Tyler and I walk along the beach shore, a long stretch of white, gleaming sand littered with half-buried shells. Reflected sunlight stretches across the water surface. Closing my eyes, I feel the stinging, salty breeze brush against my skin and blow my hair about my face. Overhead, the soft cries of seagulls echo while waves splash against the rocks, the retreating tide stroking their coarse surfaces.

"So where are we…?"

Before I can finish speaking, Tyler drags me inside a little cavern and shoves me back against the wall, his lips seeking mine. I groan, fisting his hair and tugging. One of my legs wraps around his waist as I thrust our hips together. His eyes roll back into his head as he pulls away only to reattach his lips to my throat. I lean back against the rocky wall; the jagged edges scratch my back.

"Are you up for a quick round?" He peers at me, his eyes dilated with want.

I swallow, suddenly very aware of the exposure of our "hideout." "Tyler, anyone could walk in and see us here."

He teases his body over mine; my head drops back and I moan, almost able to feel the heat radiating off him. "That's part of the thrill. So, think you're up for it, baby boy?"

I hook my hand around his neck and crash our lips together. "I've _very_ up for it, Tyler. The question is can _you_ keep up?"

My eyes meet his challengingly and he growls, flipping me around and pressing me face first against the wall. His hands quickly unbutton and unzip my jeans, letting them pool around my ankles while he works on getting his own pants undone.

"Tyler, _please_," I say, my voice a breathy moan, "I need you in me right now."

"Hang in there, baby boy." His rubs his hips into mine, his wet tip probing my entrance.

I dig my nails into the rock and bite my lip. "Tyler, please don't tease."

Apparently he can't wait anymore either because I hear him spit in his hand before shifting closer, widening my legs, and angling his cock. I shiver at the feel of his saliva-slick and hard tip. My own cock twitches and precum bubbles out. Wrapping his arms around my waist, he eases his way inside me. My body stretches and welcomes his presence. With his chest braced against my back, he slides his palms over my shoulders and down my chest, alternating between a pseudo deep-tissue massage and teasing my nipples. My eyes roll back and my head dips backwards as moans erupt from my throat. Capturing my lips, he works himself in deeper and swallows my cries as he develops a steady rhythm. I gasp and lean forward, my hands scrapping against the wall, seeking something to hold on to; his pace grows faster, harder, deeper. I struggle to stay quiet, but Tyler feels so good inside me.

"Fuck you feel good, Jere." As his hands grip my waist, his speed quickens even more.

Unable to form a coherent response, I press back, eager for more, and my eyes close as Tyler's hips dig into mine, his cock sliding out only to thrust back in farther and farther. My head hangs between my arms as my breath escapes in a mixture of pleasure cries and heavy puffs. Angling his body to the left, his cock grazes against a bundle of sensitive nerves and a jolt ripples through my body that leaves me in a quivering mess. As Tyler targets that spot, my cries grow louder in pitch. Placing his lips against my neck, he bites and sucks at the skin while his hand reaches down, seizes my throbbing dick, and pulls. Arching up, I cry out.

"Tyler, please, I'm so close. Please harder, fuck me harder."

Grunting and breathing hard, he slams into me once, twice, three more times before my stomach clenches, toes curl, and my release pulses through me. As I come down from my high, Tyler's warm liquid spills inside me. We stand there for several moments to calm our shaking bodies and racing hearts.

"Are you all right, Jere?" he asks as he pulls out. I wince, missing his presence instantly. He notices my grimace and misinterprets it. "Fuck, I hurt you, didn't I?"

I shake my head, turn to face him, and pull him into my arms. "I just felt empty when you pulled out." He grins and dips his head, intent on kissing me.

His lips never reach mine.

"Hey guys." I gasp at Elena's unexpected interruption. Tyler's body covers mine and presses us into the shadows, shielding me from sight. "If you're finished, could you please clean yourselves up? The rest of us are hungry and want dinner." She's quiet for a few moments before continuing, "Oh, and Damon called to say he'll be joining us at Rob's."

Once her footsteps retreated, Tyler and I dissolve into a chuckling fit. "I guess you were too loud, baby," I say, drawing him in for another kiss.

"Speak for yourself. I'm surprised your neighbors haven't complained yet."

Pulling up my pants, I tuck myself back inside and button up my shirt. "This is only the second time we've had sex, Ty, third if you count our morning couch session."

He glances over at me, his grin mischievous. "Planning on regulating our love making?"

"Why Mr. Lockwood, whatever gave you that idea?"

"Boy, you are so getting it later."

"Is that so? What if I have other plans for you?"

He shakes his head. "Jere, you couldn't catch me off guard even if you tried."

Eyebrows raised, I sink to my knees and smirk at his startled expression before leaning forward and engulfing his cock with my mouth; bobbing my head, I establish a steady rhythm, hollowing my cheeks and sucking harder. Tyler's grip on my hair tightens as he grits his teeth, his body pulsing with excitement, tension, and sensitivity. After a moment, I peer up at him and wink, my tongue flickering out and curling around his length.

"Oh fuck yes, Jeremy!" His head falls back as his hips jerk upward, his cock smacking the back of my throat. Gagging from the force, I place my hands on his thighs and ease him back, sucking on the tip before releasing him with a wet pop and climbing to my feet. His eyes flash open. "What? What are you…I wasn't finished!"

"If you want more, Tyler," slowly, I step backwards, "then you'll have to catch me!"

I take off, shrieking with laughter as he scrambles to redress and then stumbles after me. Since it's not easy running on sand, I make sure to stay on the smooth, wet surface. Unfortunately, this allows Tyler the upper hand as he gets closer. When I can practically feel his breath on my neck, I urge my legs to go faster. Not too far away I spot our friends but I only have enough time to register one of them pointing at us before I face plant into the sand as Tyler tackles me. Playfully, we roll back and forth wrestling, but eventually he pins me down, straddling my hips and trapping my arms above my head.

"So…I caught you," he says, his voice breathless as he hovers above me.

I smile. "That you did. Do you want your prize now or later?"

He winks and kisses my forehead. "Nah, I'll collect it later…after we've explored what else that mouth of yours can do."

At his implication, I squeeze my eyes shut and suppress a shudder of excitement, focusing on calming my reawakened cock. Thankfully it goes away after a few minutes, but I fully plan on exerting my revenge when Tyler least expects it. With a knowing smirk, he climbs to his feet, offers me his hand, and lifts me onto his back; hooking his arms around my legs and securing me in place, he jogs the rest of the way back to where our friends wait. Once we're ready, everyone piles back into their respective vehicles and caravans over to Rob's for dinner.

**Author's Notes**: Hey everyone!

Yes, I am alive and I am _so_ sorry for the long delay for posting this chapter. There's been A LOT of crap going on in my family: the bulk of it is my mom was diagnosed with Breast Cancer about a year ago. Then she went to remission and was declared cancer free but when she had a CT scan to have her port removed, the doctors found her cancer hadn't left but had metastasized further. Last month she was given 2-5 months to live. So needless to say tensions are running high in my household. But I will be continuing my stories—just fair warning that updates probably won't be very frequent.

On a brighter topic, I want to thank all of my readers for your previous reviews, both signed and anonymous. They all mean a lot to me and I'm thrill that everyone is enjoying this story. I really enjoyed writing this chapter and am pretty happy with its content as there's something for everyone: romance, drama, angst, humor, and of course Jyler! ;)

Hopefully this chapter was worth the unplanned, brief hiatus and I look forward to reading your comments on this second to last (yes, you read that right ) chapter.

Take care, my readers and I love you all.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer**: Nothing that you recognize belongs to me except for the characters Charlie, Ben, Travis, and Annie

**Warnings**: Slash, Nonrelated, Swearing, & Implied Sexual Nature

**Shout Out**: A huge thank you goes out to _Ghostwriter_; without you, girl, a lot of these stories wouldn't have been finished; you helped me so much with not only capturing Damon's character in his dialogue (definitely not an easy task), but you were also there to let me run my ideas by you and respond. Thank you so much!

**Closet Skeletons**

~***Epilogue: Together Forever***~

While sipping my Long Island, I glance down at my watch for the fifth time and sigh. It's been twenty minutes since we arrived at Rob's and still no Damon.

"What time did Damon say he'd join us?" I ask glancing at Elena.

She rolls her eyes and shifts closer to Stefan. "Jere, that's the sixth time you've asked and again I don't know. He didn't say." In a calming manner, Stefan wraps his arm around her shoulders and massages the back of her neck. Sighing in content, she tips her head back and closes her eyes. For a moment, he gazes down at her before bending down and kissing her throat. Small whimpers escape her lips as she arches up, cupping the back of his neck and urging him closer.

"I can do without the Stelena PDA visuals, thank you," I say, sliding out of the booth and weaving my way towards the bar.

As the music shifts to a louder, more obnoxious beat, several girlfriends drag their protesting boyfriends onto the dance floor, Luca and Bonnie among them. With a grin, Bonnie curls her arms around Luca's neck, her eyes never leaving his as her hips sway and roll against his. Instantly he grips her waist and tugs her closer, his gaze dilated. I chuckle and shake my head, smiling and waving at several familiar waitresses as they hurry from table to table, depositing drinks and taking orders. Reaching the bar, I climb onto the first empty stool and wait for Rob to finish with his current customer.

"You look like you could use a drink, Jere," Rob says, approaching moments later.

I shake my head, propping my elbow on the counter and resting my chin on my palm. "No, just waiting for my brother, Damon. He should've been here by now."

"Damon?" His eyebrows lift as he wipes a glass and tosses the towel across his shoulder. "About 5'8 and dark, wavy brown hair?" I nod. "He came in here a few minutes ago, but he and your friend, Charlie, took off down that way."

Yelling my thanks, I hop off my seat and hurry down the adjoining hallway, wondering why Damon said he would meet us here when he planned on disappearing soon after his arrival. Overhead an old light buzzes and flickers, casting speckled shadows. I slow my steps and strain to hear over the loud, thumping bass. As I pass a closed door, I cringe at the heavy breathing intermixed with stifled moans. That's all I need: a couple to emerge, catch me lurking, and accuse me of voyeurism. Turning, I start to head back, figuring I must've just missed my brother when the nearby groans steadily increase in volume before ending with a loud cry of _Charlie_!

I freeze in mid-step.

_What the hell_?

That voice was definitely male and sounded like Damon's.

Unable to help myself, I crouch down and press my ear against the wood before spotting a small hole below the handle and peering through it.

His chest heaving, Damon leans against the wall, his head thrown back while his pants and boxers pool around his ankles. Kneeling between his legs, Charlie inches back, flicking his tongue over Damon's cock before licking up the lingering white traces on his own face.

"Tasty." Charlie's voice sounds rough and breathless.

"Is that the best you can come up with?" An eyebrow arches as Damon's trademark smirk appears.

"Oh I'm sorry. Were you expecting something like…'holy fuck, baby you taste so good!'?

"Yes, that'll work just fine." With uncharacteristic gentleness, Damon runs his fingers through Charlie's hair. Leaning into the touch, Charlie moans in content. I frown. They look too comfortable and at ease for this to be a spontaneous hook up.

"I like my response better."

"Which doesn't even cover my extreme awesomeness," Damon says with a tsking sound.

"'Extreme awesomeness'?" Standing, Charlie levels Damon with a smirk that almost rivals my brother's. "You've done better."

Abruptly, Damon grips Charlie's shoulders and spins them around, shoving him into the wall and pressing into him. "Do you really wanna test that theory?"

"Are you offering?" Charlie asks and spreads his legs.

Unable to watch any more, I scurry away from the door, careful to avoid any creaky floorboards and hurry outside. Once at a safe distance, I pause, bend over, and place my hands on my knees, breathing hard. Did I really see what I did? Shaking my head, I walk over to a nearby bench and sink down onto the wooden planks. While I don't have anything against Damon being gay, of my two older brothers, he's the one I least expected to go that route, especially with the constant flock of women he charmed and bedded.

At the sound of crunching gravel, I glance up and spot Damon and Charlie approaching, their clothes rumpled and hair disheveled.

"That was fast. I suppose speed is a part of your 'extreme awesomeness,' Damon?" I ask.

Charlie tenses, his face flushing but Damon ignores my comment, dropping down beside me, throwing one leg over the other, and propping his elbows up in a casual manner. "You know, eavesdropping is a very unattractive and naughty habit."

I chuckle. "Gonna spank me, big brother?"

"I would," he says, a devilish gleam in his eyes, "except you'd probably enjoy it."

"Thanks but I'm not into incest…" An awkward silence falls. Shooting a sidelong glance at Damon, I glimpse the subtle tightening of his jaw as his fists clench. Charlie rests a hand on his shoulder but ever that does little to relax my brother's posture. "So…" I say, desperate for a neutral topic, "how long have you two been together?"

"Long enough," Damon says.

This time I roll my eyes. Yeah that tells me…nothing.

"How come you never told me?"

"Have you met our parents?"

"Awwww, is Damon afraid of our mommy and daddy?"

"Excuse me if I don't wanna give 'em a heart attack for their upcoming anniversary."

I shift so I'm facing him, my mouth dropping in exaggerated shock. "Is Damon actually thinking about someone else for a change?" I glance over at Charlie, my eyes wide. "What have you done to my brother…and how come you didn't do it a long time ago?"

"Shut up."

I shake my head. "That's very original, Damon. Tell me where did you get your impressive skills?"

He glares at me. "Two words: thin ice."

"That's four words, genius."

With a growl, he fakes a lunge towards me. Chuckling, I dodge his attack, sticking my tongue out. However, I don't anticipate Charlie's sneak attack or Damon's quick retaliation as he captures me in a headlock. Playfully I struggle to break free but his grip holds. Admitting defeat, my shoulders slump and my muscles relax. Smug with triumph, Damon releases me. I shake my head. Typical older brother reaction, but I'm enjoying our playful banter. We never really got the chance to develop it as children—for obvious reasons—so I'm grateful we can now.

After sometime, the three of us head back inside, Damon and Charlie joining Stefan and Elena while I go in search of my boyfriend. Spotting him across the room chatting with Bonnie and Luca, I wander over and tackle him.

"Whoa there, baby," he says, laughing as he turns and tugs me closer. "Where's the fire?"

"Just missed you," I say, nuzzling my face into his side, grateful when Luca ushers Bonnie away. "Did you know about Charlie and…?"

Tyler nods. "Yes, he told me earlier at the beach but said he wanted to tell you so I didn't say anything."

"Well I found out by sort of walking in on them."

He grimaces. "I'll bet _that_ was fun."

I shake my head with an exaggerated shudder. "No, not really." Taking his hand, I lead him over to a secluded booth, waiting till he's seated before straddling his lap; immediately he attacks my neck. My eyes slip shut as my body arches. Didn't he get enough at the beach? "We were just together not too long ago, baby." Smiling, I grip his hair and move my head to the side, offering him more access. "Didn't you get enough then?"

"No never," he says, rubbing my nose and tugging me closer. "I'll never be able to get enough of you."

"Good." I tighten my grip around his neck and lean forward, nibbling on his ear. "It's you and me forever, baby and that'll never change because you're stuck with me."

He grins, cupping the side of my face and caressing my cheek. "You're mine and I'm yours. That'll never change, Jere—I can promise you that."

**Author's Notes**: As sorry as I am to see this _Closet Skeletons_ end, I'm happy that Jeremy and Tyler got their happy ending; they sure deserved it, especially Jeremy. Boy I put him through hell!

Please read and review to let me know what you thought of this story, the ending, and that little surprise ending twist between Damon and Charlie; anyone see it coming?

Also Updated:

1. To Make You Feel Our Love

2. Open Your Heart to Us

New:

1. Wolf Property

2. Taming What's Mine

3. Sweet Surrender


	16. Chapter 16 Author's Note

Hi everyone,

No, this is not a new chapter; however, I deleted the previous part and replaced it with the updated chapter a few days ago. However, I just now realized that doesn't send out notices for chapter replacements. So I wanted to let you guys know what updates have been posted:

Closet Skeletons (chapter 15) Now Completed

To Make You Feel Our Love (chapter 5) Now Completed

Open Your Heart to Us (chapter 12) Still On-Going

Sweet Surrender (New Jyler Short Story)

Taming What's Mine (New Daremy One-Shot)

Wolf Property (New Jyler One-Shot)

Hope you guys enjoy these stories. I know things have been pretty quiet on my end and that's because my mom, who's been battling Cancer, passed away on June 29th. (I've lost track of whom I've told and whom I haven't. *sheepish look*) However, I really wanted to finish all these updates and post them at the same time as an sort of apology for taking a while with updating (especially To Make You Feel Our Love, which I unfortunately lost interest in but I did promise never to abandon a story if I could help it so I'm grateful I was able to keep that promise.)

So anyway, enjoy the new chapter and story updates and please lemme know what you guys think. :D :D :D

~emeyers


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